Washington Post opinion columnist Catherine Rampell's recent "A year into his presidency, Biden has kept some of Trump's worst immigration policies in place. Why?" embraced the tough task of making the case that Presidents Biden and Trump aren't so dissimilar when it comes to border policies. The piece even managed to touch on Biden's as-of-yet unaccomplished goal of massively expanding U.S. immigration. None of this is surprising, as Rampell is a notorious "more immigration!" advocate.
But anyone who has been following immigration and border developments under the new administration knows that record high border crossings, a 100-day pause on deportations, and a curb on interior enforcement is the Biden legacy on the issue so far, which Rampell can read all about in her own paper.
Meanwhile, polling keeps showing that immigration is damaging him politically, and there continues to be a stalemate regarding the "Build Back Better" bill that was proposed to include mass amnesty.
Americans generally want a credibly-enforced, secure border; a tight labor market; and - according to polling - immigration reduction.
The Washington Post comments section has been a real cesspool in the past, but the paper has continued to make changes to try to improve it.
What was interesting here was that the responses so comprehensively disagreed with Rampell's column. While the sentiments expressed aren't all exactly in line with mine or NumbersUSA's, the point is that it's hard to imagine the pushback on Rampell being any more thorough.
Here are the most "liked" of the 700+ comments, in order:
- "If Catherine Rampell expects anyone to take her columns seriously, she needs to stop deliberately conflating immigrants with ILLEGAL immigrants. There is a difference and without this difference immigration would be a non issue." - Orion838
- "Until we cure millions of economic migrants of the mass delusion that they are "asylum" seekers we will have to keep increasing resources both at our nation's borders and within its interior for removal operations. Our country has every right to regulate immigration and not allow itself to be overwhelmed, deluged or degraded by waves of undocumented aliens." - Millennial Uprising
- "Biden fell under the sway of the Democrat left in claiming that his intention was to "reverse" Trump's immigration policies. As a result, many thousands of would-be immigrants have swarmed over our border thinking they had a chance of remaining. Had Biden simply been silent on the issue, the border situation would not have become nearly the disaster we currently face. Despite the negative spin generated by the left, the "remain in Mexico" policy is far better for our country than the "catch and release" policy. The fact is, the United States as a sovereign nation does not have to admit all who show up at the southern border. I am a political moderate, not a raving MAGA supporter, and I think many people are like me. We want our border to be secure." - Jarvis Lorry
- "I loathe Trump and we should do all we can, within reason, to treat everyone humanely. HOWEVER, Remain in Mexico is not some ridiculous far-right policy. Do you know of any other country in the world that allows undocumented immigrants to enter the country BEFORE they secure the proper authorization?" - saltytravel
- "Anything short of installing recent migrants in Manhattan penthouses would considered "inhumane" by today's Third World fans." - Talking Book
- "We should be celebrating the slowdown in immigration over the last three years - not wringing our hands over it. Our population is 330 million - that's plenty of people. We don't need more." - Gentle Weeping Fern
CHRIS JOHNSON is a content writer for the Media Standards Project for NumbersUSA
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Bonus comments:
- "Normally I agree with Rampell, but she couldn't be more wrong here. Given our laughably loose asylum rules, absent Title 42 and "Remain in Mexico" basically anyone in a less developed country who wants to come to the US would have a reasonable expectation of being granted entry if they show up at the US border with a tale of woe. There are millions, perhaps hundreds of millions who would love to move here. Maybe in a perfect world, all would be granted entry, but in the world we live in, it would be a disaster and political suicide for the forces of democracy. Allowing in a large number of immigrants, at least in the modern era, drives voters into the arms of far right authoritarians." - AntiPopulist
- "We should require E-Verify checks on all new hires and check existing employees. We should prosecute anyone who knowingly employs someone who is ineligible to work. It is already a crime to use fake documents and should also be prosecuted. If we shut off the unauthorized employment magnet, the immigration issue would be a lot easier problem to solve." - JBrown in Fly Over Country
- "I live by the border and the narrative that Ms. Rampell professes is simply false. We have coyotes picking up illegals nightly, right in a residential neighborhood, who then drive them further into the US. 2600 people from 120+countries came through one gap in the wall in one week just south of Yuma. Illegals in another group walked into our community last week. These illegals when caught are simply picked up by the Border Patrol, processed and released into the US. The Biden administration has totally lost control of the border and his supporters here are very upset with this mess." - sigmundk
- "Beyond clueless. I am a fan of Ms. Rampell's but her usual insight was completely missing from this essay! I live in Texas which has been overwhelmed by over 1.7 million illegal immigrant apprehensions over the past year, the highest number in US history according to NBC News. And the Biden administration continues to pretend it isn't happening. They know that voters of all stripes do NOT want an open border that is out of control." - Mummy Dearest
