President Joe Biden was warned by advisers that his immigration plans could lead to “chaos” at the US border — but he ignored them, a newly uncovered memo reveals.
His team doled out the advice to Biden when he was still campaigning against President Trump back in 2020, the New York Times reported.
“A potential surge could create chaos and a humanitarian crisis, overwhelm processing capacities and imperil the agenda of the new administration,” Biden’s advisers wrote.
President Joe Biden speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Aug. 24, 2024. AFP via Getty Images
The memo warned that a huge influx was possible given Biden’s approach, a backlog from the Trump administration, and COVID hardships.
His team offered up steps that Biden, now 83, could take to thwart an influx of illegal migrants — including ways to reject immigration claims more easily, potentially holding asylum seekers in “reception centers” until their cases could be heard and transferring them to other countries.
Biden, however, opted to ignore the advice.
When Biden took office just months later, his policy advisers continued to urge the administration to crack down on border crossings and increase border enforcement.
Migrants break through the border fence and riot against members of the Texas National Guard near El Paso, on March 21, 2024. James Breeden for NY Post
The advice fell on deaf ears again after top aides suggested a crackdown would alienate progressive voters and that immigration wasn’t a major concern for Americans living in non-border states.
In the first three months of Biden’s stint in the White House, the spike in border crossings had already surpassed any record from the previous Trump administration.
His policy advisers also floated the idea of the feds helping local officials transport migrants to their ultimate destinations within the US to ease pressure on border towns.
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The plan, which was similar to the campaign Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ended up running that saw busloads of migrants sent to New York, was rejected because Biden’s aides argued it would only encourage more asylum seekers.
The crucial errors cost him the 2024 election, according to ex-Biden administration officials.
A Venezuelan jumps off a cargo container after crossing the Rio Grande river from Mexico into the US, on Sept. 24, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. James Keivom
Biden, for his part, blamed the flaws in his immigration agenda on Republicans who blocked his administration’s efforts.
He ended up using his authority to shut the border without Congress towards the tail end of the 2024 presidential campaign.
“When it became clear Congress wouldn’t act, Biden took decisive action on his own,” a spokesperson for Biden told the Times in a statement.