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President Joe Biden seems to be breaking campaign promise after campaign promise when it comes to border issues. New York policymakers need to hold the president and his administration accountable.

The administration has been very unclear about its plans in the context of immigration policy. Biden promised during the campaign to raise the refugee cap. But the administration initially announced that it planned to keep the refugee cap the same as when former President Donald Trump’s administration was in the White House. This immediately sparked outrage among Democratic politicians, immigration advocates and many Americans. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) led a group of Democrats in urging Biden to recommit to raising the cap. One powerful part read, “We must keep our promises to people who have fled unthinkably brutal conditions in their home countries and live up to our ambition to provide them a safe haven to re-start their lives.” By the morning of April 16, more than 30 Democratic lawmakers had signed the letter. 

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is another powerful Democrat urging the Biden administration to continue its initial promise to raise the refugee cap. Pelosi told The Hill, “We have a moral responsibility in the world — as every other country does, too — to receive refugees who have a well-founded fear of persecution or harm (if they) return to their own country.” 

The administration later backtracked on its statement. It has changed its stance on the refugee cap six times in three weeks, according to the Washington Post.

This is not the only issue regarding the border that Biden is not keeping his word on, subsequently confusing the public. Before the election, Biden stated that he would completely stop construction of the border wall but would not demolish parts built under the Trump administration. 

During his campaign, Biden told NPR, “There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.” But at the beginning of the month, Business Insider reported that “He said construction could resume in gaps, gates, and areas where the wall had been built but planned technology had not been installed.” 

So, which is it, “not another foot” or continuing to maintain what the Trump administration already planned?

The Biden administration will not be the solution to the refugee crisis. This issue is especially prevalent here in Onondaga County, which has the third-highest refugee intake in the country per capita as of 2016, according to Syracuse.com. 

We, as fellow residents of Onondaga County, need to demand more action for our immigrant population. Our representatives need to be doing so as well.

The local organization Syracuse Refugee and Immigration Self-Empowerment supports refugees in achieving independence. Central New York lawmakers should meet with organizations such as RISE to make more informed decisions about immigration issues.

Our upstate New York lawmakers are pushing the Biden administration to open the Canada-U.S. border. But the crisis at the Mexican border is much more pressing and much more deadly. Our focus needs to be there.

The Trump administration’s villainization of Mexican immigrants was disgusting. It shouldn’t affect their ability to enter the U.S. legally. The Biden administration promised they would do better than the previous administration. It hasn’t. 

We need to demand more clarity and action. If that means demanding it from local lawmakers instead of the nation’s president, so be it – the lives of immigrants and refugees are at stake. 
Micaela Warren is a freshman communication and rhetorical studies major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at mgwarren@syr.edu.

Published on April 28, 2021 at 9:40 pm