The Real ‘Border Czar’ Defends the Biden-Harris Record
5Digest
The episode begins with an overview of the challenges faced by the Biden administration regarding immigration, particularly the surge in migrants at the southern border. The episode uses charts to illustrate the historical trends in migrant encounters and highlights the significant increase under the Biden administration. The episode then features an interview with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, who discusses the reasons behind the surge in migrant flows, the effectiveness of new policies, and the potential impact of the border bill. Secretary Mayorkas attributes the surge to a combination of factors, including the post-pandemic economic recovery in the United States, the unprecedented levels of displacement around the world due to violence, poverty, and political instability, and the rise of sophisticated smuggling organizations that exploit vulnerable individuals. The episode delves into the changes implemented by the Biden administration to address the surge in asylum claims, including empowering asylum officers to adjudicate claims, raising the standard for credible fear, and accelerating the adjudication process. These changes have resulted in a significant drop in the number of migrant encounters at the border, indicating that the administration's policies have had a material impact on the risk calculus for potential migrants. The episode also addresses criticisms of the Biden administration's immigration policies, particularly the argument that the administration's more compassionate approach led to the surge in migrant flows. Secretary Mayorkas defends the administration's actions and emphasizes the importance of adhering to American values. The episode discusses the failed bipartisan border bill and its potential impact on immigration policy. Secretary Mayorkas highlights the bill's potential to address the underfunding of the immigration system and provide more resources for enforcement and asylum processing. The episode concludes with a broader discussion of the immigration system and its goals. Secretary Mayorkas emphasizes the need for a fundamental overhaul of the system to address its shortcomings and achieve its objectives of economic prosperity, family unification, and humanitarian relief.
Outlines
Immigration Policy Under the Biden Administration
This episode of the Ezra Klein Show explores the challenges of immigration policy under the Biden administration, featuring an interview with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who discusses the surge in migrant flows, policy changes, and the need for a fundamental overhaul of the immigration system.
The Surge in Migrant Flows at the Southern Border
The episode delves into the challenges faced by the Biden administration regarding immigration, particularly the surge in migrants at the southern border. The episode uses charts to illustrate the historical trends in migrant encounters and highlights the significant increase under the Biden administration.
Interview with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
The episode features an interview with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, to discuss the reasons behind the surge in migrant flows, the effectiveness of new policies, and the potential impact of the border bill.
Policy Changes and Their Impact on Migrant Flows
The episode returns to the discussion of immigration policies, focusing on the changes implemented by the Biden administration. The interview with Secretary Mayorkas delves into the specific steps taken to address the surge in asylum claims and the impact of those changes on the migrant flow.
Addressing Criticisms of the Biden Administration's Approach
The episode addresses criticisms of the Biden administration's immigration policies, particularly the argument that the administration's more compassionate approach led to the surge in migrant flows. Secretary Mayorkas defends the administration's actions and emphasizes the importance of adhering to American values.
The Failed Border Bill and its Potential Impact
The episode discusses the failed bipartisan border bill and its potential impact on immigration policy. Secretary Mayorkas highlights the bill's potential to address the underfunding of the immigration system and provide more resources for enforcement and asylum processing.
Explaining the Delay in Policy Changes
The episode addresses the question of why the Biden administration did not implement policy changes sooner to address the surge in migrant flows. Secretary Mayorkas explains the complexities of the negotiations, the challenges posed by Title 42, and the administration's ongoing efforts to address the issue.
Reframing the Immigration System and its Goals
The episode concludes with a broader discussion of the immigration system and its goals. Secretary Mayorkas emphasizes the need for a fundamental overhaul of the system to address its shortcomings and achieve its objectives of economic prosperity, family unification, and humanitarian relief.
Keywords
Transnational Smuggling Networks
Organized criminal groups that facilitate the illegal movement of people across international borders, often using sophisticated communication and marketing strategies to attract and exploit vulnerable individuals.
Disinformation
False or misleading information that is deliberately spread to deceive or manipulate people, often used by smugglers to entice migrants with false promises about the ease and safety of their journey.
Credible Fear
The initial threshold for asylum seekers in the United States, where they must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country to be granted entry and a chance to pursue their asylum claim.
Asylum Officer Rule
A rule implemented by the Biden administration that empowers asylum officers, rather than immigration judges, to adjudicate asylum claims, aiming to expedite the process and reduce the backlog.
Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Regulation
A regulation that creates a presumption of ineligibility for asylum for individuals who do not utilize lawful pathways to enter the United States, encouraging the use of safe and orderly processes for seeking humanitarian relief.
CBP-1 App
A mobile application developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows individuals to schedule appointments at ports of entry for a safe and orderly entry into the United States.
Parole Program
A program that allows individuals from certain countries, such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, to be vetted in advance and, if they have a sponsor in the United States, to travel safely to the United States via air.
Expedited Removal
A process that allows for the rapid removal of individuals who are deemed ineligible for asylum or other forms of relief, aiming to reduce the backlog and expedite the adjudication process.
Q&A
What are the main reasons behind the surge in migrant flows at the U.S. southern border during the Biden administration?
Secretary Mayorkas attributes the surge to a combination of factors, including the post-pandemic economic recovery in the United States, the unprecedented levels of displacement around the world due to violence, poverty, and political instability, and the rise of sophisticated smuggling organizations that exploit vulnerable individuals.
How has the Biden administration changed its approach to asylum claims and what impact have those changes had on the migrant flow?
The Biden administration has implemented a series of changes, including empowering asylum officers to adjudicate claims, raising the standard for credible fear, and accelerating the adjudication process. These changes have resulted in a significant drop in the number of migrant encounters at the border, indicating that the administration's policies have had a material impact on the risk calculus for potential migrants.
What are the main goals of the U.S. immigration system and how can the system be updated to achieve those goals?
Secretary Mayorkas identifies three main goals: economic prosperity, family unification, and humanitarian relief. He argues that the system needs a fundamental overhaul to address its shortcomings and achieve these goals, including addressing the underfunding of the immigration system, streamlining the asylum process, and creating more pathways for legal immigration.
How does the Biden administration balance its commitment to American values with the need to address the challenges at the border?
Secretary Mayorkas emphasizes the importance of adhering to American values, such as compassion and human rights, while also acknowledging the need for a functional and orderly immigration system. He argues that the administration's approach is distinct from the previous administration's policies, which he criticizes for their cruelty and lack of adherence to American values.
What are the diplomatic dimensions of the Biden administration's efforts to address the surge in migrant flows?
The Biden administration has engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts with partner countries in the region, including Mexico, to address the root causes of migration and to strengthen border enforcement mechanisms. The administration emphasizes the need for a regional solution to a regional challenge, recognizing that the issue of irregular migration affects multiple countries in the hemisphere.
Show Notes
Republicans want to label Kamala Harris as the border czar. And by just looking at a chart, you can see why. Border crossings were low when Donald Trump left office. But when President Biden is in the White House, they start shooting up and up — to numbers this country had never seen before, peaking in December 2023. Those numbers have fallen significantly since Biden issued tough new border policies. But that has still left Harris with a major vulnerability. Why didn’t the administration do more sooner? And why did border crossings skyrocket in the first place?
Harris was not the border czar; she had little power over policy. But to the extent that there is a border czar, it’s the secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas. So I wanted to have him on the show to explain what’s happened at the border the past few years — the record surge, the administration’s record and what it has revealed about our immigration system.
Book Recommendations:
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
String Theory by David Foster Wallace
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.
You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Mary Marge Locker and Kate Sinclair. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Elias Isquith, Kristin Lin and Aman Sahota. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Dara Lind, David Frum, Jason De Léon, Michael Clemens, Natan Last and Steven Camarota.
Table of contents
United States
