Biden announces executive action on immigration

House Speaker Mike Johnson takes a question from a reporter during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill on June 4, in Washington, DC. 

Republicans came out swinging against President Joe Biden’s newest executive action on the border, despite the fact that it plans to impose stricter measures on immigration.

Some criticized Biden about not implementing the executive actions sooner, while others said the executive action does not go far enough, touting the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.

“It’s window dressing,” said Speaker Mike Johnson in a news conference Tuesday. “And we don’t know what’s in this. The devil will definitely be in the details here.”

A joint statement from Republican leadership – signed by Reps. Tom Emmer, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, and Elise Stefanik – stated, “Over a year ago, House Republicans passed the Secure the Border Act, which would actually fix the problem, but Joe Biden and Senate Democrats continue to drag their feet on taking meaningful action, sacrificing the safety and security of our communities.”

While House Democrats did vote against a border bill sponsored by Republicans last year, Senate Republicans doomed multiple border-related bills negotiated with Democrats, showing that in an election year, neither party wants to give the other a win on immigration.

Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, called Biden’s executive action “too little, too late.”

“After 64 open border executive actions, zero House Democratic votes for the Secure the Border Act, and two million illegal crossings per year – Joe Biden has finally woken up to the fact he has a political problem at the border,” Hudson said in a release Tuesday.

A statement from the American Action Network, a conservative advocacy group, criticized Biden on revoking the signature Trump-era immigration policy.

“If the President was serious about stopping the crisis at the southern border, why isn’t he reinstating Remain in Mexico?” said AAN communications director Courtney Parella.