U.S. News
Biden campaign co-chair admits fear of border crisis impact on 2024 election
By Jake Beardslee · December 19, 2023
In brief…
- Rep. Escobar, co-chair of Biden 2024 campaign, admits worries border crisis could hurt his reelection
- Blames Congress for lack of reform, but says Biden could face backlash as president
- Monthly border encounters keep setting records, according to Department of Homeland Security statistics
A Democratic Congresswoman and co-chair of President Biden’s 2024 campaign acknowledged worries that the administration’s handling of the immigration crisis at the southern border could imperil his reelection chances. “I hope not, but I’m afraid of that,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), when asked by Politico if she feared political fallout for Biden over the border situation, according to Fox News Digital.
While Escobar placed blame on Congress for failing “over and over again” to pass legislation addressing immigration reform, she conceded that “Democrats will get blamed simply because the president is in the White House.”
Fiscal Year 2023 saw a record 2.3 million migrant encounters along the border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed a bill allowing state law enforcement to arrest migrants illegally entering the country. The goal is to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas,” Abbott said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, in fiscal year 2023 so far, encounters at the Southwest border have risen over 40 percent compared to 2021 and 4 percent since 2022. That surpasses the more than 100 percent spike seen since 2019, the last fiscal year before President Biden assumed office.