OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
One of Joe Biden’s biggest supporters appears to be throwing up his hands in frustration after declaring that a recent executive order issued last week was far too little and way too late to help the president win a second term.
HBO’s “Real Time” host Bill Maher said during his Friday program that Biden’s executive order on immigration won’t really boost his reelection chances and is doomed to failure.
Biden issued an executive order to halt new asylum requests once the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. hits an average of 2,500 per day over a week. The order comes after months of Biden stating he could not intervene in the immigration crisis. Maher commented on his show that while immigration is a critical issue for Biden’s reelection, this executive order is unlikely to satisfy any party involved.
“I think if Biden loses this election, it’s gonna be because of two things,” Maher said. “He’s old, and he can’t get past that issue, and people just hate that about him. And immigration. I mean, just on a political level, I don’t think they could’ve handled it worse. Because now what’s going on … he’s finally, after saying he couldn’t do anything, he’s gonna issue an executive order. By the way, this is the same executive order Trump tried to get through the courts, and they didn’t let him do it.”
“But he’s gonna finally try it six months before the election, which says we’ll put a cap of 2,500 now asylum seekers coming in,” the comedian noted further. “If it passes 2,500, if it’s 2,501, then we automatically close the border. Fire marshal says, ‘No more.’ He’s gonna come here and close the club. And if you don’t have a stamp on your hand, you can’t get back in.”
According to reports, anywhere from 6 to 11 million people have crossed illegally into the country since Biden reversed most of former President Donald Trump’s immigration and border enforcement policies on his first day in office. Illegal immigrants who have settled in “sanctuary cities” like New York City, Chicago, and elsewhere have soaked up resources and angered local residents.
“But when it goes down to 1,500, then we resume standard asylum procedures. It’s like surge pricing with Uber,” Maher quipped. “It’s a bizarre scheme that, of course, has pleased nobody. It looks like he did nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Of course, he did try through Congress, and the Republicans purposely spiked that football … but now it looks like this is his last minute before the election Hail Mary pass. And it’s not going to succeed.”
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For the record, Republicans “spiked” a Democrat-led immigration ‘reform’ measure because it, too, would still allow thousands of migrants into the country per day and did not quell incentives to come to the U.S. illegally.
“House Republicans oppose the Senate immigration bill because it fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Caucus, said in February.
“Among its many flaws, the bill expands work authorizations for illegal aliens while failing to include critical asylum reforms. Even worse, its language allowing illegals to be ‘released from physical custody’ would effectively endorse the Biden ‘catch and release’ policy,” she continued.
“The so-called ‘shutdown’ authority in the bill is anything but, riddled with loopholes that grant far too much discretionary authority to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – who has proven he will exploit every measure possible, in defiance of the law, to keep the border open,” Stefanik, who’s been mentioned as a potential Trump running mate, went on.
“The bill also fails to adequately stop the President’s abuse of parole authority and provides for taxpayer funds to fly and house illegal immigrants in hotels through the FEMA Shelter and Services Program,” she said, adding that Biden and the Democrat-led Senate have refused to consider H.R. 2, which the House passed in 2022 that would accomplish all of the things Stefanik mentioned.
The Senate must take it up immediately. America’s sovereignty is at stake,” she said.
