President Joe Biden’s concessions on border policy to get Ukraine aid passed have put him at odds with key allies who will be charged with mobilizing voters, multiple sources tell CNN, underscoring the political headwinds the Biden campaign faces in the upcoming election.
Border security remains a political liability for Biden heading into 2024, as polls reveal voter dissatisfaction over the president’s handling of migration at the southern border. Since taking office, his administration has grappled with record high arrests at the US-Mexico border amid unprecedented migration in the Western Hemisphere – contributing to a shift toward stricter immigration measures within the administration.
Biden, who pledged to restore the US immigration system during the 2020 campaign, is now considering immigration restrictions that stand to have lasting implications for migrants, a move that could backfire with his progressive base. While the tone and policies from the president are still markedly different from former President Donald Trump – who over the weekend doubled down on saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” language condemned for its ties to White supremacist rhetoric – the concessions from the White House to get aid passed are now frustrating the people who are expected to hit the trail for Biden next year.
Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar, who also serves as co-chair of the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, told CNN: “It’s different from where the campaign was at in 2020, for certain.”
Escobar cast blame on Republican governors and attorneys general for hindering Biden’s immigration agenda, in addition to Congress, but raised alarm over the reported direction of border talks and inclusion of tighter asylum policies, among other stricter immigration measures.
“I want to hold out hope that the White House and the…
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