Biden and DeSantis tussle over immigration in potential 2024 preview
Haisten Willis
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President Joe Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are engaged in an escalating war of words over illegal immigration, a crucial issue that could play a major role in the 2024 elections.
Biden’s team fired salvos back and forth with DeSantis all last week, with reporters relaying statements from one to the other at press conferences. The spat comes as both sit among the leading candidates to represent their party in the 2024 presidential contest.
WHITE HOUSE: DESANTIS IS MAKING A MOCKERY OF US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM
“DeSantis is making a mockery of the [immigration] system,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last Friday. “He has consistently and constantly, as many of you have reported, done political stunts, has not helped to address this issue but has instead decided to put the lives of migrants who are coming here for a better life at risk.”
Those words came after a reporter brought up statements DeSantis had made the day before, in which he threatened to “send the bill to Biden” for an uptick in Florida’s migrant costs.
But the fact that the White House had a response prepared and is ready and willing to engage with the Florida governor may be the bigger story, according to Republican strategist John Feehery.
“Picking a fight with Biden on immigration and having him respond is the best dream that any Republican candidate for president can hope for,” Feehery said. “Biden has a terrible record on the No. 1 issue for the Republican base. It’s a no-brainer for DeSantis.”
The tussle began when DeSantis declared a state of emergency in the Sunshine State on Jan. 9 over the arrival of immigrants in the Florida Keys. The Republican governor issued an executive order that activated the National Guard and other state resources “to protect Floridians from the dangerous impacts of the Biden Border Crisis.”
Two days later, a reporter asked the White House about the moves. Jean-Pierre said DeSantis engages in “political stunts” that treat illegal immigrants like pawns.
The day after, a Florida reporter asked DeSantis about Jean-Pierre’s comments.
“The Coast Guard actually requested the state’s assistance — they had all these vessels coming,” DeSantis said before a supportive audience, adding that Florida is “filling in the gaps” where the federal government is failing.
DeSantis promised his continued support as the impact of the migrant surge is mitigated, even threatening to bill the White House for the costs.
“We are going to clear the vessels free of charge for those residents because it wasn’t their fault,” he said. “Maybe we’ll send the bill to Biden. We’ll see. But the reality is this is just not the way you run a country.”
That led to the White House’s most recent response, in which Jean-Pierre accused DeSantis of making a mockery of the immigration system.
Tom Cochran, a Democratic strategist, largely agreed with his Republican counterpart’s analysis of the situation.
“DeSantis is clearly well positioned to run in 2024, and the Biden team further elevates him by engaging in this public message sparring,” said Cochran, a partner at 720 Strategies. “Immigration has always and clearly will continue being a top campaign issue regardless of who the candidate will be — Trump, DeSantis, or someone else.”
The White House has clashed with DeSantis many times before, especially after the Florida governor paid for a migrant flight to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, in September.
DeSantis, a popular governor who recently won reelection by nearly 20 percentage points, has fared well in head-to-head polling against former President Donald Trump, who may be his biggest GOP challenger, but tends to fall behind him in a crowded field.
A recent poll from Harvard-Harris shows GOP and independent voters prefer DeSantis over Trump 52%-48% when it’s only those two, but in a crowded primary, Trump holds the edge over DeSantis 45%-30%, per a recent Politico poll.
Biden visited the border earlier this month in an attempt to address the issue but was potentially undermined this week when New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) visited himself and blasted the federal government’s migrant response. DeSantis, for his part, has highlighted the ongoing migration of residents from New York to Florida as proof his policies work.
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Biden is severely underwater on the issue of immigration, with 37% approval versus 59% disapproval, per the RealClearPolitics average.
Rank-and-file Democrats have been telling pollsters they would prefer a different nominee than Biden for months. However, he appears to be strongly positioned to seek reelection, and top potential challengers have indicated they will not run against him.