President Biden seeks to take Trump's "trump card"

US President Joe Biden's new policies regarding immigration seem to be having a significant impact on the 2024 US election.

Recent broad-based polls show Mr Biden trailing and sometimes even surpassing Mr Trump. (Source: Reuters)

Two policies, one approach

Over the past three weeks, the Biden administration has rolled out two sets of immigration-related measures in parallel.

On June 4, Mr. Biden issued an executive order preventing a large portion of illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border from receiving asylum status.

The order was activated when the number of illegal migration incidents at the southern border reached 2,500 a week and was suspended when the number dropped to 1,500 a week. Exceptions were made for unaccompanied children, victims of human trafficking and other vulnerable groups.

Then, on June 18, President Biden announced mechanisms to facilitate illegal immigrants whose spouses are US citizens who have lived in the US for at least 10 years or people under 21 years old whose parents are US citizens to apply for permanent residence in the US without having to leave the US.

Currently, US law requires illegal immigrants to first leave the US for many years before being allowed to return to legally immigrate.

A former White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while these two sets of measures may seem incompatible, they are in fact two sides of a consistent approach: clearly distinguishing between groups within and outside the US border. Specifically, the Biden administration will restrict illegal immigration of migrants outside the US, while ensuring the rights of migrants already on US soil.

Thus, the two latest executive orders do not reflect a fundamental change in the Biden administration's immigration policy, but rather a measure to win the support of voter groups with opposing views.

Voters frustrated by President Biden’s perceived “soft” immigration policies may find some solace in the limited number of immigrants from Mexico. Meanwhile, millions of US residents with illegal immigrant spouses will be encouraged by the loosening of the mechanisms for applying for permanent residency (green cards) in the US.

The immigration issue has always been considered Mr. Trump's "trump card" in his plan to run for re-election to the White House. (Source: Getty)

Effect on public opinion

The effectiveness of Mr. Biden's pair of executive orders has been initially reflected in a number of public opinion polls, in which the gap between former President Donald Trump and current President Biden on the issue of immigration has narrowed by a few percentage points. Although Mr. Trump still dominates with the support of 60-65% of voters.

Analysts also noted that the change could be a result of Mr Trump's criminal conviction announced on May 30.

The Hill reported on June 21 that US President Joe Biden is leading former President Donald Trump by 2 percentage points in a national poll. This is the first time Mr. Biden has led his opponent since October last year.

According to a Fox News poll on June 19, 50% of respondents said they would vote for President Biden in November, while 48% supported Mr. Trump. Thus, Mr. Biden's support rate increased by 3 percentage points compared to a Fox News poll conducted last month when Mr. Trump led by 1 percentage point.

Including other candidates, Mr. Biden leads Mr. Trump by 1 percentage point, 43%-42%. Meanwhile, independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West won 10% and 2% respectively, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein got 2%.

Previously, in a May poll, including other candidates, Mr. Trump was still leading Mr. Biden by 3 percentage points.

The poll results reflect the hush money scandal that has had a significant impact on Mr. Trump. Since then, broad-based polls have shown Mr. Biden trailing and sometimes even surpassing Mr. Trump.

Former President Trump’s campaign and some prominent Republicans have pointed to President Biden’s immigration tactics, with House Speaker Mike Johnson criticizing Biden for trying to “play both sides.”

Still, Mr. Biden is not the only presidential candidate to have taken ambivalent positions on immigration.

In a June 20 interview on the All-in Podcast , former President Trump, who has taken a hard line on immigration, said that foreign students who graduate from American universities should automatically be granted green cards. He argued that this would help retain the nation’s brainpower and allow companies to “hire the best and brightest.”

Immigration has always been considered Mr. Trump's "trump card" in his plan to re-run the White House this year. Ms. Karoline Leavitt, press spokeswoman for Mr. Trump's election campaign, once emphasized that Mr. Trump has set up a strict screening process for immigrants to retain only the most talented people who will make great contributions to the United States.

Now, Mr. Biden's new immigration policies show the fierce competition between the two candidates in this area.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bau-cu-my-2024-tong-thong-biden-tim-cach-gianh-at-chu-bai-cua-ong-trump-275530.html