Overview
- An August 2020 memo to Biden’s inner circle, obtained by the New York Times, warned that rolling back Trump-era measures could trigger a surge, overwhelm processing capacity, and imperil the new administration’s agenda.
- The reporting says Biden and close advisers did not adopt key recommendations, and early reversals such as pausing deportations, halting wall construction, and suspending Remain in Mexico coincided with a sharp rise in encounters that strained facilities and large cities.
- Advisers repeatedly proposed steps like quicker asylum screenings, use of reception centers, and third‑country transfers, but many ideas stalled over concerns about alienating progressives and assumptions the issue would not drive voters.
- Former officials quoted by the Times describe a muddled approach, with Cecilia Muñoz saying aides were too sensitive to criticism from the left and Scott Shuchart arguing the White House had no clear strategy or goal.
- State responses escalated the fight—Texas and Florida launched busing to interior cities in 2022—as Pew estimated the unauthorized population hit 14 million in 2023, and the border became a potent 2024 issue that benefited Trump, with scrutiny now renewed under the current enforcement climate.