New statistics about the millions of migrants released into the United States under President Joe Biden pose a concern for him as he turns to his reelection in 2024. The Washington Post reported that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released more than 2.3 million migrants into the U.S. at the southern border under the Biden administration, citing data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. While the number is significantly less than the more than 6 million migrants taken into CBP custody during the same period, the data is likely to bolster criticism of Biden by Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, and other Republicans on the campaign trial.
Biden has also faced criticism from Democrats over his administration’s policies regarding the southern border. Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said that Biden “is staggeringly vulnerable on the immigration question” ahead of the 2024 election. He said that the sitting president is always going to take the blame for a surge in undocumented immigration. With increasing numbers of center-left governors and mayors expressing dissatisfaction over the White House’s handling of immigration, the issue could prove even more of a liability for Biden heading into 2024.
