In an election year, there are few things more American than political dog fights about immigration and security at the southern border.
“It is a beautiful election issue that is easy because America is so conflicted on this,” said Leah Murray, director of the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service at Weber State University.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been in an ongoing standoff with the federal government over border enforcement. And Utah Gov. Spencer Cox voiced support for Texas during a Feb. 4 trip to the border town of Eagle Pass with Abbot and 13 other Republican governors. There, he said the situation has gotten “significantly worse” over the past year and placed the blame squarely on President Joe Biden’s shoulders.
“Sadly, the federal government has, once again, just completely abdicated their responsibility,” Cox said at a news conference following the visit.
“President Biden can't fix all of this, but he could fix most of this with the authority that he has right now. And he knows this, and his administration knows this, and they're willfully choosing not to do the things that could stop this from happening.”
The governor’s comments come less than a year after he largely blamed Congress for immigration issues.
“It's hard to blame any single administration when really this problem lies at the feet of Congress,” Cox said last May. “Congress is the problem right now among immigration. States should not be trying to fix this.”
Just like the political rhetoric surrounding immigration, Murray said the tug-of-war over immigration between states and the federal government is not a new phenomenon, either.
“The management of the policy in the abstract is at the federal level, the management of the impact of the policy is at the state level. At the federal level, we're going to manage immigration, but as the immigrants come into the state, it is on the state's dime to be taking care of them.”
According to Cox, that strain has been felt in Utah, too.
“We've heard several governors say that every state is a border state right now. These numbers are unsustainable and many people do make their way to Utah.”
Cox then called on the president to “do his part” and enforce detainment and deportation laws.
The governor’s comments received pushback from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. Mendenhall said there was no data in Salt Lake City to back Cox’s claims that drugs coming across the border were having an impact in the capital city.
The change in Cox’s rhetoric is to be expected during an election year, Murray said. In fact, both Republicans and Democrats often take advantage of border politics.
“If I want to show that Trump is the worst, I need him to be president when that is happening,” she said. “If I am a Republican, I need there to be a stream of fentanyl coming across the border. Because if I want Biden to look like he's totally mismanaging, I need that to happen.”
Utah’s federal delegation has waded into the immigration fray, too.
Sen. Mike Lee has been a leading voice on the right against a bipartisan border bill in the Senate that was released on Feb. 5. It linked border security with aid to Ukraine and Israel. Lee called the bill “Dead. On. Arrival.” in a social media post.
After pushback from the right, some Senate Republicans appear to be backing away from the bill. President Biden placed the blame for that on former President Donald Trump.
For Cox, who is facing multiple primary challengers from his political right, an element of politicking is likely entering his calculus.
“I think the fact that he's at the border with 14 other Republican governors is a show of Republican solidarity in a presidential election year,” Murray said. “It's almost primary and convention season here. But I also think he's got some national aspirations. And this puts him right with his team on this particular issue.”
Rep. John Curtis, who is running to replace the retiring Mitt Romney in the Senate, is also expected to make his own trip to the border on Feb. 8.
