During President Biden’s first day in office, he targeted many of President Trump’s procedures, including his strict immigration policies. One of the first actions Biden took after being sworn in was to terminate the Trump administration’s southern border declaration, leading to a redirection of funds from the construction of the border wall. Effectively putting a complete halt on the production of Trump’s wall.
Biden also signed an executive order changing the civil immigration enforcement policies, going directly against President Trump’s 2017 executive order. President Biden’s order instructed federal agencies to review the current immigration enforcement procedures and adjust the policies to protect “the dignity and well-being of all families and communities” to address the left’s humanitarian concerns at the southern border.
Biden’s next step to address immigration was to send Congress a bill that would help illegal immigrants gain citizenship easier. Leading many top Republicans to speak out, stating that Biden’s policies will incentivize illegal immigration into the United States, taking away American jobs and hurting the US economy.
Senator Ted Cruz criticized President Biden’s first actions in office, stating “It is deeply troubling that most of Joe Biden’s first acts as president were to protect illegal immigrants and encourage illegal immigration at the expense of American jobs and workers. Not only has he chosen to halt construction of a wall on America’s southern border and to continue Barack Obama’s illegal executive amnesty by preserving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but he is promoting open-borders legislation that would gift citizenship to over 11 million illegal immigrants, roll back immigration enforcement, and promote and increase foreign labor at a time when many Americans desperately need work.”
Cruz added that Biden’s actions prove that the current Democratic Party puts illegal immigrants before American workers.