The rather sweeping executive order issued by US President Joe Biden aimed at curbing migrant arrivals in the US has opened a can of worms with the White House coming under attack from the Republican camp maintaining that it did not go far enough and the progressives within the Democratic Party arguing that what is put in place is not much different from what the former President Donald Trump had done during his tenure and one that he was criticized for.

If President Biden thought he was trying to address a critical issue to his advantage some six months away from the Presidential polls, that may not quite work out that way. Immigration is on top of the charts along with the economy and governance even if there is a wide margin between Republicans and Democrats.

But it is an issue that cuts across political parties differently now that undocumented persons living in America are estimated between 11 and 12 millions and steadily climbing to the point where America is perceived to be coming apart at the seams.

What has upset progressive Democrats and civil rights groups is the Biden administration, through an executive fiat, making use of a 1952 law that disallows access to the American asylum system if arrivals are seen to be “detrimental” to national interests. It is pointed out that the Trump administration used the 212(f) law to ban entry of nationals from Muslim nations which was immediately denounced as racist.

The latest orders will kick in only when the daily threshold is met and when the border is “overwhelmed”. Calling for patience Biden has said that his action will help the US to “gain control” of the border. According to one estimate more than six million migrants have been stopped trying to cross into the US illegally during the Biden administration.

The problem of illegal entry into the US is not just from Mexico but from nationals of other countries, including India. Apparently there are close to 800,000 illegals from India, making the country in the top three after Mexico and El Salvador.

Mexico’s worries

The Biden White House is stressing that the latest restrictions will take effect only when seven-day averages cross 2,500 and when the border becomes overwhelmed. But officials in Mexico are worried of the implications of shut down of asylum seekers, one of which being that places like Mexico City would be unable to bear the brunt. The President of Mexico has suggested that the US should start sending back detained migrants to their respective countries directly.

President Biden is unlikely to settle a difficult issue in an election year especially when the Republicans are seeing a political advantage. At different points of time since President George W Bush, the Democrats and Republicans have wrestled with Immigration in Congress with many a bill falling by the wayside on perceived shortcomings on security, strengthening the borders and the “path” to a green card and eventual citizenship.

Nationally, successive polls have shown a majority of Americans supporting lawful migration and recognising the contribution of immigrants. But the polarization in American politics has undoubtedly left its imprint on issues like immigration.

The last meaningful accord between the parties came about in 1986 when a staunch conservative like Ronald Reagan and the Dean of Liberals Edward Kennedy showed they could do business. Some three million persons are said to have benefitted. But neither Reagan nor Kennedy would have been naïve enough to have imagined that they have settled the issue once and for all.

The writer is a senior journalist who has reported from Washington DC on North America and UN