Biden advisers warned his 2020 border plans risked ‘chaos’, internal memo shows: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Joe Biden's campaign advisers reportedly warned him in 2020 that his immigration platform could set off a sharp rise in border crossings, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times, published on Sunday, December 7.

The document, sent during the final months of his election against President Donald Trump, cautioned that a surge in migrants could overwhelm officials and complicate the incoming administration's priorities.

Despite that warning, Biden pressed ahead with his immigration plans and later faced record-breaking crossings in his first months in the office. 

Memo warned Joe Biden's team of migrant surge risks 

The memo that circulated among Biden and senior campaign aides stated, "a potential surge could create chaos and a humanitarian crisis, overwhelm processing capacities and imperil the agenda of the new administration.”

Advisers wrote that Biden's plans, combined with backlogs from Trump's first term and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, carried significant risk. 

Even as the memo laid out options to manage the expected rise, including faster rejection of asylum claims, the use of "reception centers," and having some migrants wait in Mexico, the campaign ultimately did not adopt most of the proposals. 

Officials say Biden lacked a clear immigration strategy

Once in office, Biden moved quickly to reverse several policies from Trump's first term, pausing deportations for 100 days, ending construction of the border wall, narrowing categories for immigration arrests and suspending the "remain in Mexico" program.

Reportedly, these steps deepened internal divisions among his advisers about the pace and political risk of the changes. 

Andrea R Flores, a former National Security Council official, told the NYT that disagreements over deterrence options stalled further actions.

"The memo died," she said. Scott Shuchart, a senior policy adviser at ICE during the administration, described the broader issue as a lack of direction. 

Biden, he said, "had no strategy, because they had no goal, all they had was wishing the problem would go away so that they could focus on the things they cared about." 

White House rejected migrant relocation plan

Border crossings began rising sharply during the first three months of Biden's term, and advisers continued to recommend stricter enforcement tools, but concerns within the administration about alienating progressive voters slowed action. 

Some proposed easing pressure on border towns by helping relocate migrants to other US cities, an idea later mirrored by Texas Governor Greg Abbott's migrant-busing program, but the White House dismissed the plan, fearing it would draw more people in. 

A report by the Pew Research Center found that the number of unauthorized immigrants in the US reached a record 14 million in 2023.