Democrats in tight races avoid Biden immigration crackdown event to prevent political impact

Some Democrats in battleground states have declined the Biden administration's invitation to join the president on Tuesday when he announces a large crackdown on immigration, Axios reported on Monday.

Even though many have pushed for the tougher approach that the government is adopting now, they might be avoiding pictures next to the president as they are currently polling better than him, the outlet explained.

Among the senators who won't be attending the event on Tuesday are Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin, Jacky Rosen, from Nevada and Bob Casey, from Pennsylvania.

However, some Texas border mayors are making the trip to Washington D.C. to support the announcement, which would allow border officials to prevent migrants from claiming asylum and rapidly turn them away once border crossings reaches 2,500 a day, The Associated Press reported.

Among the confirmed invitees are Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza. Meanwhile, the Democratic mayor of Eagle Pass said he had not received an invitation as of Sunday. The White House has not yet confirmed other mayors who were invited to the function.

The measures considered are an attempt to ease the system's overwhelmed asylum requests, along with a new effort to speed up the cases of migrants already in America and another meant to quicken processing for migrants with criminal records or those who would otherwise be eventually deemed ineligible for asylum in the U.S.

Following its announcement, the order is expected to meet legal challenges as Biden faces increased pressures to address illegal migration, a top concern for voters ahead of this year's election.

However, without such challenges, the order could go into effect immediately as the country is already encountering over 2,500 migrants a day between ports of entry. The border would only reopen when the figure declines to 1,500, the outlet added. They are set to be daily averages over the course of a week.

"Legislation is what is needed," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said last month. "Executive action will be challenged. I am confident in that. And then the question will be what is the outcome of those proceedings? Legislation is a more certain delivery of solution."

The Biden administration has already imposed other measures aimed at stemming the flow of migrants reaching its southern border, with Mexico being instrumental in doing so. Authorities have stopped nearly three times as many migrants within its territory compared to the previous year, according to a report by NBC News.

The effects are already showing, with unlawful crossings at the southern border decreasing by more than half compared to December's record-highs during the first three weeks of the month, according to government internal figures reported by CBS News.