Overview
- An August 2020 memo to Biden’s inner circle warned that his plans could trigger a migrant surge that would create chaos, overwhelm processing capacity, and imperil his agenda.
- The administration initially kept Title 42 but quickly halted border wall construction, narrowed enforcement priorities, and moved to suspend Remain in Mexico, coinciding with a sharp rise in encounters.
- Internal proposals such as faster asylum rejections, reception centers, and requiring some migrants to wait in Mexico were floated yet repeatedly watered down or abandoned, including a memo prepared for Ron Klain.
- Former officials say concern about alienating progressive voters shaped choices, with ICE adviser Scott Shuchart contending the White House lacked a clear strategy.
- Mounting pressure in 2022 prompted Texas and Florida to bus migrants to Washington, D.C., as mayors sought federal coordination and critics targeted expanded legal pathways and humanitarian parole.