Exclusive–Ortiz: Biden Has the Power to Secure the Border by Reinstating Trump’s Policies

At his State of the Union Address on Thursday, President Biden will do his best impression of a moderate and call for legislation to secure the border. He can’t ignore the polls any longer. According to Gallup, immigration is the biggest issue Americans face – even outstripping the combined scores of the weak economy and inflation.

Yet Biden doesn’t need legislation, and his call for Congress to act is just passing the buck. He has the power in the executive branch to issue an executive order to secure the border. All he needs to do is withdraw the order he signed in his first month of office that reversed President Trump’s border rules.

Biden’s February 2021 order revoked sensible Trump policies such as Remain in Mexico, increased detention facilities, expedited removals, and the end of catch and release. Biden’s order also expanded asylum and relaxed other immigration rules. As a result, illegal immigration has surged, with illegal crossings in 2023 more than doubling those under Trump in 2019.

To be helpful, Job Creators Network provided the executive order language Biden needs to sign in a full-page ad in the New York Times today. The ad is titled “Hey Joe, You DO Have the Power to Restore Our Border Right Now.” It’s just waiting for his signature.

By admitting he was wrong and signing this order at his address to the nation on Thursday night, Biden can begin to reverse his dire polling, including his 30-point immigration deficit to Trump.

The surge in illegal migrants under Biden has contributed to higher crime in our communities. According to JCN’s national poll of small businesses, nearly one-third of respondents say increased crime has reduced their earnings.

This migrant crime threat was brought home to many Americans during a recent migrant attack on an NYPD officer. If cops aren’t safe in Biden’s America, who is?

Then there was the recent high-profile alleged murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant. The Laken Riley Act, which the House of Representatives plans to vote on soon, would raise theft or shoplifting to deportable crimes and require the federal government to detain violators who lack proper documentation. Securing our borders means secure communities.

As Elon Musk pointed out on Twitter on Tuesday, unvetted immigration also poses a terrorism risk. “It is highly probable that the groundwork is being laid for something far worse than 9/11,” he noted. “Just a matter of time.”

Biden tried to ignore illegal immigration for most of his presidency. But the issue has come home to roost. It’s even started to repel the independents, suburbanites, and college-educated women Biden needs to have a chance at reelection. Biden should stop trying to save face on this issue and do an about-face on his border executive order.

Alfredo Ortiz is the CEO of Job Creators Network, author of “The Real Race Revolutionaries,” and co-host of the Main Street Matters podcast.