Former Homeland Security assistant secretary Blas Nuñez-Neto has publicly criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the U.S. border crisis, attributing it as a key factor in Donald Trump’s re-election. In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Nuñez-Neto outlined what he described as systemic failures within the administration, including an inability to decisively address the surge in illegal border crossings that marked the first three years of Joe Biden’s presidency.
“The first step in responding to a crisis is to acknowledge it exists,” Nuñez-Neto wrote. “The surge in illegal crossings at our southern border during the first three years of Biden’s presidency was, by any reasonable definition, a crisis. 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.”
As a key architect of border policy during Biden’s tenure, Nuñez-Neto detailed the overwhelming wave of illegal entries in 2021, which he described as a ‘tidal wave’ that overwhelmed the system. He attributed part of the problem to the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which strained resources and made it difficult to manage the influx of migrants. Additionally, he highlighted the challenges of deporting individuals to countries like Venezuela, which he cited as an issue that further complicated the administration’s response.
“Deliberations that delayed important policy choices didn’t help, either,” Nuñez-Neto wrote. “By the time 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.” According to his analysis, the political stakes of the 2024 election fundamentally skewed the immigration reform process, leading to a stalemate and the failure to enact meaningful changes.
Despite his criticisms of the Biden administration, Nuñez-Neto acknowledged that the border situation has improved compared to earlier years, with security measures now exceeding those of Biden’s early tenure. However, he warned that the current approach has come at the cost of ‘eroding our constitutional order,’ arguing that a more balanced approach is necessary to uphold both the promise of America as a land of immigrants and the importance of its laws.
“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,” he concluded.
His op-ed sparked intense online backlash, with his former department, Homeland Security, responding on X with a mocking reference to the children’s tale of Humpty Dumpty. Meanwhile, the data on border apprehensions under Biden reveals a stark contrast to Trump’s tenure, with record highs under Biden, while border encounters dropped by over 90% under Trump during his first few months in office. These figures have added fuel to the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of different administration approaches to immigration policy.