WASHINGTON—Several House Democrats are now focusing on border security in their campaign strategies, marking a departure from their prior defensive stance against Republican criticism. This shift is aimed at addressing a significant political vulnerability ahead of the upcoming fall elections.
The party's new approach emphasizes that Democrats in competitive races can center their campaigns on fixing border issues, while framing Republicans as obstructionists for rejecting the Senate's bipartisan border deal. Currently, Democrats hold a slim majority in the House, with control of the chamber considered a tossup.
At the same time, Senate Democrats are preparing for a fresh vote on the bipartisan border deal, which failed in February. The Biden administration is also weighing its own actions regarding border policies.
These efforts indicate a concerted Democratic effort to change the narrative on an issue that has historically been challenging for them. Record numbers of illegal migrants crossing the southern border since President Biden took office have made immigration a top concern for voters. Polls show that voters trust GOP candidate Donald Trump over Biden on this issue.
The House Democrats' memo, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, cites polling showing that the Senate's February deal, aimed at reducing illegal border crossings and expediting asylum claims, was widely supported by Americans. Despite this, Trump and other Republicans criticized the deal for not being tough enough. The memo accuses Republicans of rejecting the border deal to use the issue for campaigning and to prevent Biden from achieving a political victory.
The memo also highlights the victory of Rep. Tom Suozzi (D., N.Y.) in a recent special election, where Suozzi campaigned on supporting the border deal. His opponent, Mazi Pilip, dismissed the pact as a nonstarter. The memo suggests that Suozzi's approach to engaging with voters on the issue could serve as a blueprint for winning tight races.
Republicans, however, attribute Suozzi's win to factors such as his opponent's inexperience and Suozzi's strong name recognition in his Long Island district, rather than his stance on immigration.
"Transparent spin can't obscure these facts—so if Democrats say 'lean in' on the border, we say: 'it's your political funeral,'" said Jack Pandol, spokesman for the House Republicans' campaign arm.
Republicans had passed a border bill in the House last year, but the Senate did not take it up for consideration.
Suozzi emphasized immigration in his campaign because it was a key issue for people in his district, especially after nearly 200,000 migrants arrived in the New York area from the border, many on buses paid for by the state of Texas. His internal polling indicated that it was a significant concern for voters.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has informed Democrats that he is considering bringing the bipartisan bill back up for a vote, according to a source familiar with the matter. Schumer has expressed that the border situation is unacceptable and that while Republicans may have given up on acting, Democrats have not.
Polls consistently show that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on securing the border. In a February Wall Street Journal survey, immigration ranked as the top issue for voters, surpassing the economy and inflation. The same poll indicated that 65% of voters disapproved of Biden's handling of border security, and 71% believed that immigration and border security were headed in the wrong direction.
Following the collapse of the border deal, Biden considered issuing an executive order to mimic one of its key provisions, allowing the government to effectively turn away any asylum seeker who crosses the border illegally. However, Biden's legal advisers cautioned that such an action would likely be challenged in court and that it would have minimal effect without the funding that the bipartisan border deal would have provided.
Despite these challenges, Biden has indicated that he may proceed with the executive order to demonstrate to voters that he is taking action to control the border.
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule to screen asylum seekers earlier in the process for disqualifying reasons, such as previous criminal convictions. Immigrant advocates argue that this change would deny due process to asylum seekers who might not have access to legal representation before being screened. The policy is expected to take months to finalize and could be reversed if Trump wins the November election and decides not to implement it.