(DailyVantage.com) – Immigration advocacy groups are slamming the Biden administration over videos intended to dissuade migrants from making the dangerous trek through South America to the U.S.-Mexico border. The National Immigrant Justice Center, one of the leading organizations that signed the letter against the administration, claimed that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) video, which showed that deportation was still on the table for border security, was dehumanizing and should be discontinued. The release continued by claiming that the deportation of migrants misses the complexity of their human story and puts them in danger, adding that the policy of deterring immigration through videos has no evidence to show effectiveness.
The top five issues for the 2024 election are the economy, preserving democracy, healthcare, immigration, and climate change. However, immigration is a much more crucial issue for Republican and Independent voters than for Democratic voters. While criticism from the left on immigration might be expressed to Biden, it will likely not make much of a dent in his easily winning the Democratic primary.
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes in further border security, which could bring Biden closer to him on this issue. Although, according to FiveThirtyEight aggregate polling, President Joe Biden is holding at about 64.3% while Kennedy is at 15.2%, which means that Biden need not appeal to Kennedy voters on this particular issue if he still earns their support for the general election.
This criticism from immigration advocates comes as Biden continues to have a disapproval rating of 54.6% to 41.2%. Despite this, polling from the Morning Consult shows Biden ahead of former President Donald Trump by a lead of 3-points, which could signal a closer election than 2020’s national popular vote if Biden does not garner the support of key elements of his Democratic coalition. However, while appealing to issues of immigration may prove salient for Republican voters, Biden’s re-election campaign can focus on other top issues. This means Republicans must ensure effective messaging on healthcare and democracy if they wish to counter him by courting independents.
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