Title: Mixed Reactions in Cochise County, Arizona to Biden’s Immigration Order
As Democrats and Republicans in Washington negotiated legislation to overhaul the asylum system and tighten border security earlier this year, many in Cochise County, Ariz., a conservative stronghold, held their breath.
The bill promised to secure more federal grant funding that had been helping local mayors and community leaders house and bus migrants passing through their stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. However, after former President Donald J. Trump helped sink the proposal, even some of President Biden’s staunchest Republican critics in the area expressed disappointment.
Now, as news of Mr. Biden’s latest action to follow through on some of the asylum provisions of the failed legislation spreads, Republicans and Democrats alike in Cochise County are eyeing it with skepticism.
Mayor Donald Huish of Douglas, an even-keeled Republican, expressed mixed feelings, stating, “On one hand, I am happy to get any help we can get. On the other, I wish they would just fix the problem.”
Kathleen Gomez, a Democrat turned Republican running for the county’s board of supervisors, called it “a Band-Aid on a severed artery.”
The response in Cochise County highlights the political headache the border has become for Mr. Biden, as he navigates a restrictive immigration approach he once pledged to reverse.
While some commended Mr. Biden for trying to address their concerns, many residents remained uncertain about the impact of the executive order on voters and the fundamental issues at hand.
Critics on the left accused Mr. Biden of playing into right-wing politics, while Democratic strategists viewed the move as a politically wise decision to address a major vulnerability.
In Cochise County, where the number of migrants has been climbing to record levels, the recent executive order does not increase federal funding, leaving many residents concerned about the lack of tangible solutions to the ongoing challenges at the border.
Overall, the mixed reactions in Cochise County reflect the broader debate surrounding immigration policy in the United States and the complex political landscape that President Biden must navigate as he seeks to address the issue.
