Analysis | Evaluating Biden presidency, handling of immigration

The president’s reversal of his April 16 decision to keep the refugee cap at 15,000 a year has prompted some citizens to question his policy consistency. Unsplash

As President Joe Biden nears his first 100 days in office, the backtracking of his original decision concerning the refugee cap limit has posed a major question for critics on both the right and left of the political spectrum: Is the self-identified liberal consistent in his platform?

Biden proposed in a Feb. 12 report to Congress that the number of refugees allowed into the country would be increased to 62,500 refugees for the 2021 fiscal year, which he said would be raised to 125,000 for the following — a stark contrast to the historically low limit of 15,000 refugees under former President Donald Trump’s administration. However, Biden has yet to sign an order to reverse Trump’s cap, upsetting many Democratic lawmakers and refugee advocacy groups. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki then announced hours after a wave of backlash that the cap would be increased by May 15.

“Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited and burdens on the Office of Refugee Resettlement, (Biden’s) initial goal of 62,500 seems unlikely,” Psaki wrote in the statement. “While finalizing that determination, the President was urged to take immediate action to reverse the Trump policy that banned refugees from many key regions, to enable flights from those regions to begin within days; today’s order did that.”

The Pew Research Center published an April 15 report that revealed Biden’s approval rating of 59% is higher than that of former presidents Trump (39%), Bill Clinton (49%) and George W. Bush (55%), among others. However, Biden’s rating is lower than Barack Obama’s (61%) and Ronald Reagan’s (67%).

“I do think there may be something to the argument that immigration and refugees are kind of a tough issue for (Biden) in terms of public opinion,” said John Compton, the chair of the political science department at Chapman. “If people are worried about the Southern border and if you have media outlets kind of fanning those flames, he may be concerned about public opinion.”

Compton thinks it’s hard to say whether the president’s handling of the cap limit could be reflective of his handling with the government. He did note that as Biden continues his term, situations will continue to arise and challenge the Democratic Party, saying that the solutions to these issues will never satisfy everyone. 

“On this particular issue, I think one reason that he reversed himself so quickly is that pretty much all segments of the Democratic Party are in favor of raising the refugee cap,” Compton said. “Biden is a more kind of orthodox politician. He’s someone who tries to listen to the members of his coalition and be responsive and keep everyone on board.”

Junior political science major Yusuf Baqai, the president of Chapman Democrats, understood why Biden originally chose to keep the Trump administration’s refugee cap, but told The Panther the number should be gradually increased to between 30,000 and 40,000, as opposed to what Biden announced in February.

“Given the economic conditions of the U.S. (and) the fact that we’re a first-world country, we should be able to take these asylum seekers,” Baqai said. “Especially right now during (the pandemic), they’re going to be having more of a hard time than ever.”

Baqai was glad Biden realized that keeping the 15,000 refugee cap posed a problem, but wants the president to follow through on his promise of raising the number. He also noted that if Biden’s positions become clouded, people may think he isn’t a consistent policymaker.

“Although I like him backtracking in this scenario, I don’t want him to do it frequently,” Baqai said. “Because, obviously, making the correct decision the first time is a lot better than having to backtrack.”

Conversely, Chapman Republicans Vice President Thomas Corrigan, a sophomore screenwriting major, said he was fine with keeping the Trump administration’s cap, as he felt it worked in the past.

“I think (Biden’s) probably a good guy, but he doesn’t seem like he’s a particularly strong leader,” Corrigan said. “He’s probably just saying that he will raise it to minimize more backlash. He still hasn’t done it, and I doubt he’s going to do it.”

Jaylene Capinpin, a junior vocal performance major, said raising the refugee cap heavily influenced her to vote for Biden in the 2020 general election. As such, Capinpin feels Biden is breaking his campaign promise.

“I think that kind of makes a lot of people look at that decision and think, ‘Well, if he’s not going to follow through on raising the amount of refugees we’re allowing, what else will he not follow through on without significant pressure?’” Capinpin said.

Both Baqai and Capinpin believe the president should continue to be held accountable. Baqai said he would keep himself and Chapman Democrats members informed of the president’s decisions and their ramifications. Capinpin said although she does not have substantial political authority as an individual, she thinks it’s crucial to keep Democratic leaders from deviating from their promises.

“It’s really important that we don’t elect politicians and then just kind of step away,” Capinpin said. “It’s important to keep our leaders under speculation and to hold them to a higher standard.”