Top Democrat says Biden’s qualification on the border is ‘incomplete’

The No. 3 Democrat in the House admitted that President Joe Biden still has a lot of work to do when it comes to the southern border, as Republicans pummel the immigration crisis.

Rep. Pete Aguilar, a fourth-generation Mexican-American lawmaker, said if he were asked to rate the job the president has done on the border and on immigration, he would give Biden an “incomplete.”

Since Biden took office, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered more than 4.7 million migrants at the southern border. This includes several months of record crossings.

The criticism of Biden by the highest-ranking Latino to ever serve in the House comes as Republicans, now in control of the House, begin to crack down on administrative lapses at the border.

“I think the rating would be incomplete,” Aguilar told ABC’s This Week in an interview that aired Sunday. There is too much to do. We know that it is a humanitarian problem on the southern border.

It comes as thousands of illegal immigrants continue to cross daily into the US through the southern border with Mexico. Pictured: Migrants standing and sitting resting at the border in El Paso, Texas last month

“I think there has been common ground about the ability of dreamers to become citizens. We have the Republicans on board with that,” added the California Democrat.

“Over the last 10 years, the Democrats have continually put these bills on the floor, and the Republicans have stood in the way of the House side of seeing real reform happen,” he said.

Aguilar, however, blamed the lack of border-related legislation on Republicans.

He said their focus on border security instead of border reform has stunted the process, saying they need to pay attention to protections for so-called Dreamers, who are immigrants who were brought to the US illegally as children.

So far in the 118th Congress, Republicans have already held two hearings on the southern border crisis in the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, and in the Oversight and Accountability Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer.

Republicans have also begun proceedings to indict Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for dereliction of duty and lying to the American public about the security of its borders.

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona filed official articles of impeachment against Mayorkas this month. Biggs’ efforts have the support of at least 15 other members of Congress.

Biden finally began to focus last month at least some of his administration’s efforts on stifling the flow of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at the southern border.

Biden visited the border for the first time in his presidency in January, after nearly two years in the White House.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) finally saw a big drop in migrant apprehensions at the southern border in December after five months of increases.

This included the implementation and expansion of some Trump-era policies, which have angered immigration groups and advocates, as well as a surge of Democratic lawmakers who called these policies un-American and inhumane in some cases.

Biden last month announced new immigration policies that would expand the use of the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42, which allowed for the immediate removal of migrants seeking asylum during the pandemic.

It also established a new program in which asylum seekers from certain countries must apply through an app called CBP One before coming to the US.

The new policy announcement came just before Biden’s first trip to the southern border, which was just a few-hour layover in El Paso on his way to Mexico City, Mexico, for the Three Amigos Summit with the Presidents of Mexico and Canada.