White House pressed on Biden’s proposed return to Trump-era immigration policies

The White House was questioned several times on Wednesday about plans that could bring back some Trump-era immigration policies.

Congress is debating a bill that would send aid to Ukraine and Israel while also strengthening the southern border, which has seen record-smashing numbers of illegal crossings under President Joe Biden.

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When asked about immigration, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre frequently points back to a bill Biden released on the first day of his presidency that would reform border policies. But that bill has gone nowhere, and Biden refused to meet with Republicans to discuss it.

But Biden is now reportedly open to lowering the number of allowable asylum claims and restoring the pandemic-era Title 42 border expulsion policy, which would represent a major shift in the administration’s stance.

If it happens, the move could upset Democrats because it would move Biden closer to his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, on the topic.

“Our reporting indicates the White House is open to an authority that would allow suspended asylum processing when there’s a spike in border crossings,” a reporter said. “Wouldn’t that be a major policy reversal and revert back to the previous four years?”

Jean-Pierre responded by saying that she wouldn’t get into specifics and that “we have to find a bipartisan compromise” before referring back to the day-one bill.

The reporter asked why Biden refuses to meet with Congress about the bill when he has met with legislators on other topics and why he has spent little public time discussing the topic.

“I disagree,” Jean-Pierre said. “We have taken policy action after policy action without help from Congress. That is being consistent here, and when you put forth the first piece of legislation to be on this issue, which has been broken for decades, I mean, that’s what he did as president.”

The Washington Examiner also pressed the administration on Biden’s refusal to discuss immigration during a briefing last week.

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Another reporter said the proposed immigration proposals are “backed by Donald Trump and [former Trump adviser] Stephen Miller,” which could put Biden in an awkward place while campaigning.

“I can’t negotiate from here,” Jean-Pierre said. “They’re having conversations right now. I don’t want to get ahead of that. I want to let folks have those conversations.”