House Democratic coalition urges Biden to use executive action on border crisis

A coalition of 15 House Democrats urged President Joe Biden to use an executive order to get a handle on the southern border crisis in a letter Tuesday. 

The legislators were from swing states where winning reelection is crucial if Democrats want to flip the House in November, but the border crisis is considered a weak spot for many liberal lawmakers.

The letter, led by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, blamed the failure to secure a deal that would help control the border chaos on Republicans but said that action was still needed to fix the broken immigration system.

"It has become clear that the current situation remains untenable, but with Republicans playing politics on border security, it is time for your administration to act," the letter said, according to CBS News. "We urge you to use all tools at your disposal, including executive action, to better address security at the Southern border, interdict illicit fentanyl and allow for orderly legal immigration." 

A White House spokesperson told the outlet that it was still calling for House Republicans to step up and help fix the issue, after Republicans in the Senate voted against a major border deal earlier this year.

“[C]ongressional Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, and rejected what border agents have said they need,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to call on Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to pass the bipartisan deal to secure the border." 

The lawmakers claimed that their constituents, even in non-border states, have all felt the effects of the border crisis which has swamped liberal cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, and Washington D.C. 

Lawmakers that signed the letter included Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, Pennsylvania Reps. Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright, and Nevada Reps. Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, among others.