What kind of controversy will Biden's new immigration policy bring?

Recently, US President Joe Biden is working hard to address one of his biggest political burdens: immigration. However, this move may weaken the economic strength of the United States, thereby exacerbating another weakness among voters. The economic recovery of the United States after the COVID-19 epidemic is more remarkable than that of other countries. Economists believe that this phenomenon is partly attributable to immigrants entering the United States through legal and illegal channels. But Biden's executive order issued on June 4th may limit the number of asylum seekers and other immigrants, who typically provide important and affordable labor for employers.

Firstly, various trade-offs indicate that Biden has encountered difficulties in addressing urgent political and policy issues, especially as the Republican controlled House of Representatives is determined not to allow him to win in the election year, and the Republican Party has launched a fierce attack on Biden on border issues. Meanwhile, according to opinion polls, the state of the US economy is the most concerning issue for voters, and Biden has not received much praise for the overall strength of the economy. "If this executive order can successfully significantly reduce cross-border population, then it will have a significant impact on the economy," said Chloe Easter, an economist studying immigration at the University of Colorado, Denver

Secondly, the independent Congressional Budget Office stated earlier this year that the immigration wave that began in 2022 has driven labor growth and economic output. The institution predicts that the influx of new immigrants may drive GDP growth of $7 trillion over the next decade compared to when there were no immigrants. However, the Congressional Budget Office also estimates that immigration will lead to inflation, which is another pressing issue that Biden faces in the election year. The institution stated that due to the influx of low skilled workers, wage growth will also slow down in the next decade. Chloe Easter believes that the potential economic negative impacts of Biden's immigration policy may be unevenly concentrated in industries that historically relied on immigration work, such as catering, construction, and services.

It can be seen that this new policy aims to prevent a large number of immigrants from attempting to enter the United States and provide the government with more ways to deport certain immigrants more quickly. The new policy will allow federal officials to suspend the processing of asylum applications between designated ports of entry if the average daily transit volume exceeds 2500 people within a week. This has angered immigration advocates, Biden's union allies, and some Democratic congressmen. However, experts say that given that immigrants can still reach the United States through other means, the extent to which Biden's crackdown on asylum seekers affects the workforce remains to be seen.

At present, Biden's new policy almost completely blocks the southern border of the United States and prohibits illegal asylum seekers from entering the country. The implementation of this measure marks a significant turning point for the Biden administration on immigration issues, and its impact on the economy is yet to be determined. It is worth noting that Trump also repeatedly used administrative power to restrict immigration during his term, which sparked widespread controversy at the time and caused significant setbacks for the Republican Party in the midterm elections. Now, the Biden administration is facing similar challenges again, and it remains to be seen whether its immigration policy can withstand the test.

Overall, Biden's new policies on immigration may have complex political and economic impacts. On the one hand, controlling immigration helps to counter Republican attacks on border security issues; On the other hand, this may affect the supply of the US labor market and overall economic performance. How to strike a balance between ensuring border security and maintaining economic growth will be a key issue that the Biden administration needs to address.