President Joe Biden is expected to go on the offensive on immigration during Thursday's debate, pointing to his own recent executive orders and criticizing the policies of his Republican rival Donald Trump as extreme, according to sources familiar with the matter.
On the eve of the presidential debate, the Biden administration is already trying to demonstrate confidence in its border security, citing recent declines in the number of people crossing the border since Biden's move to crack down on asylum seekers.
Since taking office, Biden's administration has been grappling with a record-breaking immigration crisis and has often had to respond to the border crisis. But in recent months, the White House has sought to take advantage of a moment of relief from one of the most politically thorny issues facing Biden in his reelection campaign to go on the offensive.
Biden's advisers don't view immigration as a defining issue for them, but Biden is prepared to tackle it if it is raised, pointing to steps his administration has taken and the border security bill that Trump killed earlier this year.
Officials have blamed President Biden's executive orders for the significant drop in border crossings, a victory they have already achieved, while continuing to blame Republicans for not pursuing immigration reform.
But Biden's immigration policies don't seem to be convincing voters so far. Biden continues to trail in the polls on border security against Trump, who has made immigration a central pillar of his campaign, and his campaign expects the controversial issue to come up in Thursday's debate. CNN previously reported that allies are urging Trump to focus on immigration, among other issues, in the debate.
In recent days, Biden supporters, anticipating Trump's attacks during the debates, have told the campaign how the president can gain an advantage on immigration and urged the campaign to tackle the issue head on.
The Biden campaign has repeatedly sought to draw a stark contrast between the two candidates, frequently pointing to Trump's controversial family separation policy, which campaign officials believe resonates with voters and is a reminder of what happened under Trump.
