https://sputnikglobe.com/20240127/bidens-grab-for-unchecked-emergency-powers-amid-us-border-crisis-is-unquestionably-dangerous--1116437599.html
Biden's Grab for 'Unchecked Emergency Powers' Amid US Border Crisis is 'Unquestionably Dangerous'
Biden's Grab for 'Unchecked Emergency Powers' Amid US Border Crisis is 'Unquestionably Dangerous'
Sputnik International
While the state of Texas continues its efforts to deal with the crisis on the border with Mexico despite protests by the federal government, US President Joe Biden wants the Senate to grant him new emergency powers to deal with this problem.
2024-01-27T18:57+0000
2024-01-27T18:57+0000
2024-01-27T18:57+0000
analysis
us
joe biden
dan lazare
mexico
border
us-mexico border
crisis
https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/1b/1116439577_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_e62c13c0866fbb5b5de8e922e098248e.jpg
A bipartisan bill is being discussed that would give Biden “a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed,” with the POTUS claiming that he will use this power as soon as it becomes available to him.Commenting on this development, US constitutional historian and political commentator Dan Lazare told Sputnik that this move by Biden is “unquestionably dangerous,” as “providing the executive with essentially unchecked emergency powers is always fraught with risk.”As Lazare pointed out, Biden’s actions essentially confirm that his presidential predecessor and rival Donald Trump was correct in insisting that “sterner measures are required” to tackle the border crisis, which does not bode well for the current resident of the White House.“Admitting your opponent is right gives voters more reason to vote for him rather than less,” the historian remarked.He stressed that “the border crisis is unfixable short of a new version of the Berlin Wall,” which would be a rather challenging undertaking due to the sheer length – nearly 2,000 miles – of the US-Mexican border.Another factor that further complicates the situation is the economic disparity between the United States and its southern neighbors.“US GDP per capita now stands at $76,330 according to the latest World Bank data. Mexico’s, meanwhile, is at $11,496, Nicaragua’s is $2,255, Haiti’s is $1,748, while Venezuela’s is just $482. That’s a ratio of as much as 158 to one,” Lazare elaborated. “This is why border crossings have been running at 7,000 or 8,000 per day – 60 percent above what Biden now says is the permissible limit – since the end of the pandemic.”The migrants seeking entry into the US, Lazare noted, are simply “desperate to improve their lives and those of their children” and are willing to do “whatever it takes” to accomplish that task.Lazare also observed that the US is not the only entity in the world currently facing the migrant problem, as the “endless US-backed wars in the Middle East” resulted in a large number of migrants fleeing to European Union states.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240127/specter-of-civil-war-bidens-border-policy-could-lead-to-huge-explosion--ex-pentagon-analyst-1116437378.html
mexico
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“
2024
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“
News
en_EN
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rosiya Segodnya“
us border crisis, us migrant crisis, us southern border crisis
us border crisis, us migrant crisis, us southern border crisis
Biden's Grab for 'Unchecked Emergency Powers' Amid US Border Crisis is 'Unquestionably Dangerous'
While the state of Texas continues its efforts to deal with the crisis on the border with Mexico despite protests by the federal government, US President Joe Biden wants the Senate to grant him new emergency powers to deal with this problem.
A bipartisan bill is being discussed that would give Biden “a new emergency authority to shut down the
border when it becomes overwhelmed,” with the POTUS claiming that he will use this power as soon as it becomes available to him.
Commenting on this development, US constitutional historian and political commentator Dan Lazare told Sputnik that this move by Biden is “unquestionably dangerous,” as “providing the executive with essentially unchecked emergency powers is always fraught with risk.”
“Even if Biden doesn’t abuse them, it sets a precedent for others who will,” he explained. “So it definitely tips the balance in favor of the authoritarianism that Trump represents.”
As Lazare pointed out, Biden’s actions essentially confirm that his presidential predecessor and rival
Donald Trump was correct in insisting that “sterner measures are required” to tackle the border crisis, which does not bode well for the current resident of the White House.
“Admitting your opponent is right gives voters more reason to vote for him rather than less,” the historian remarked.
He stressed that “the border crisis is unfixable short of a new version of the Berlin Wall,” which would be a rather challenging undertaking due to the sheer length – nearly 2,000 miles – of the US-Mexican border.
Another factor that further complicates the situation is the economic disparity between the United States and its southern neighbors.
“US GDP per capita now stands at $76,330 according to the latest World Bank data. Mexico’s, meanwhile, is at $11,496, Nicaragua’s is $2,255, Haiti’s is $1,748, while Venezuela’s is just $482. That’s a ratio of as much as 158 to one,” Lazare elaborated. “This is why border crossings have been running at 7,000 or 8,000 per day – 60 percent above what Biden now says is the permissible limit – since the end of the pandemic.”
The migrants seeking entry into the US, Lazare noted, are simply “desperate to improve their lives and those of their children” and are willing to do “whatever it takes” to accomplish that task.
“The US war on drugs meanwhile compounds the problem by incentivizing gang warfare in much of Latin America on a scale that makes Al Capone’s Chicago look like a schoolyard squabble. Entire countries are drowning in violence as a consequence, Ecuador being the most recent example,” he added. “This further incentivizes migration, yet Washington’s response is to ratchet up the drug war even more.”
Lazare also observed that the US is not the only entity in the world currently facing the migrant problem, as the “endless US-backed wars in the Middle East” resulted in a large number of migrants fleeing to European Union states.
