The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Donna Robert
The No. 3 House Democrat, who is also the highest ranking Latino to ever serve in the chamber, says the jury is still out on how President Biden is handling the influx of illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border.
“I think the grade would be incomplete,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, California Democrat, said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “There’s plenty to do. We know that it’s a humanitarian issue down at the southern border.”
House Republicans have made border security a pillar of their oversight agenda as they accuse Mr. Biden’s policies of contributing to a record flow of migrants streaming into the U.S. illegally.
As the president moves to address the crisis by expanding Trump-era policies and limiting asylum access at the border for migrants from certain countries, Mr. Aguilar, who is chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said Mr. Biden is trying to strike a balance between an overwhelmed immigration system and migrants’ refugee rights.
But he blamed the lack of legislative progress on Republicans who want to focus on border security rather than broader reforms or protections for “Dreamers,” the immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
“I think there has been common ground on the ability for Dreamers to become citizens. We have Republicans on board with that,” Mr. Aguilar said. “In the last 10 years, Democrats have continually put these bills on the floor, and Republicans have stood in the way on the House side to see any real reform happen.”
