Democrats aren’t great at self-reflection. But one person is getting honest with America.
Because this former Biden official confessed to what got Donald Trump elected.
Acknowledging the Border Crisis Fallout
Former Biden border adviser Blas Nuñez-Neto, in a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday, admitted that the Biden administration’s failure to effectively address the southern border crisis played a significant role in President Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election.
Nuñez-Neto, who served as assistant secretary for border and immigration policy at the Department of Homeland Security, wrote, “The first step in responding to a crisis is to acknowledge it exists.”
He described the surge in illegal crossings during Biden’s first three years as “a crisis,” stating:
“The failure to acknowledge this reality and take timely action to try to resolve it cost Democrats a great deal of trust with American voters and contributed to President Trump’s return to the White House.”
The record-high 249,785 Border Patrol apprehensions in December 2023 show the scale of the issue under Biden, while Trump’s policies have since reduced border encounters by over 90% in his first few months.
Factors Behind the Border Surge
Nuñez-Neto identified multiple contributors to the border crisis, including economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic, which drove migration in 2021, creating “a tidal wave” of illegal entries.
He also pointed to systemic challenges, noting “a lack of resources” at the border and “the inability to deport people to countries like Venezuela” as key issues.
Internal delays exacerbated the situation, with Nuñez-Neto writing, “Deliberations that delayed important policy choices didn’t help, either.”
Efforts to address the crisis through bipartisan immigration reform in late 2023 and 2024 faltered, as he explained:
“By the time Mr. Biden and congressional Democrats began working in earnest with Republicans in late 2023 and 2024 on revamping our immigration laws, the politics were hopelessly interwoven with the presidential election, which is why a tough, bipartisan bill ultimately foundered.”
Calls for Reform Amid Political Backlash
While acknowledging that border security has improved under Trump, Nuñez-Neto cautioned that current measures risk “eroding our constitutional order.”
He urged Congress to create a balanced immigration system, writing, “In other words, we need a system that recognizes that we are not only a nation of immigrants but also a nation of laws and that we need to respect both. Until that happens, the next border crisis will always be just around the corner.”
His critique drew sharp online criticism, with the Department of Homeland Security posting on X, “’I was Humpty Dumpty. Here’s how to sit on a wall,’” mocking his reflections.
