President Biden said earlier this week that when COVID-era immigration policy Title 42 expired, the situation at the U.S. Mexico border would change quickly.
“It’s going to be chaotic for a while,” Biden conceded, after sending active duty troops to the southern border to support the border patrol officers already in place.
The deadline for Title 42 is driving a mass of media coverage — with anticipation of the chaos Biden cited already a cause for blame-gaming and genuine concern on both sides of the aisle.
Like the debt ceiling story, with a U.S. default possible as early as June 1 according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the border story has a clear expiration date, which provides a fulcrum for the media narrative and makes it easy to focus on. (In reality, immigration has been a challenging issue for decades and will continue to be so long past today.)
Still, with a huge media focus on the border change, Biden surprised many political watchers this morning by prioritizing a different story, at least on Twitter, where the President tweeted about the initiative to rescue and preserve Bristol Bay.
The Alaskan watershed supplies, as Biden writes, “half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon, supporting 15,000 jobs.”
Bristol Bay’s fish runs supply half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon, supporting 15,000 jobs.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 12, 2023
We listened to scientists, Tribal leaders, and fishers who rely on the bay and want to protect it from toxic waste.
If we take care of a resource like this, it can go on forever. pic.twitter.com/rnuDjvpkru
Last night Biden prepped his followers for the Bristol Bay tweet, writing:
When we conserve our country’s natural gifts, we’re not just protecting the livelihoods of Americans who depend on them:
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 12, 2023
The fishers, family farms, recreation businesses, and rural communities that welcome visitors.
We’re protecting the heart and soul of our national pride.
Is it a tone deaf approach, as Biden critics argue? Or a savvy attempt to broaden the focus of the U.S.’s many responsibilities and challenges? Biden’s drawing attention the Bristol Bay conservation efforts is being labeled an attempt to distract from the border crisis — by both the President’s supporters and detractors.
Biden faces a torrent of misinformation on the border situation, especially on Twitter where conspiracy theories are rampant. Here is an example of a conspiracy theory tweet about the border (we won’t link): “DHS is using an encrypted online chat room to tell Mexico where to send illegals to cross the border to avoid TX National Guard and DPS officers.”
Rabid misinformation, which attends and extends the “chaotic” situation Biden predicted, isn’t undone by Presidential tweets. Rather than combat them, Biden’s move shows he has calculated that focusing on a different narrative — at least on Twitter — will work for him.
Meanwhile the Department of Homeland Security, led by Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, is taking a different approach.
Starting tonight, people who arrive at the border without using a lawful pathway will be presumed ineligible for asylum. We are ready to humanely process and remove people without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/JnpSw6793v
— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) May 12, 2023
DHS has sent out dozens of consecutive tweets about the border, and its pinned tweet also addresses the situation.
The United States has and will enforce our immigration laws. Consequences for not following legal pathways include:
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 12, 2023
*Final orders of removal or deportation
*A five-year reentry ban
*Criminal prosecution if you attempt to reenter
Find out more: https://t.co/2NWF48ERFn pic.twitter.com/3JkrFgCwxZ
