Praise, but some trepidation, among Democrats after Biden's border actions

President Joe Biden's executive action restricting asylum claims at the southern border drew a range…

ABC News

By Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, and Fritz Farrow

Biden is facing opposition from within his own party.

President Joe Biden’s executive action restricting asylum claims at the southern border — a dramatic move to address one of voters’ top concerns five months before the election — drew a range of reactions: applause from many Democrats but also disappointment from some progressives and scorn from Republicans who cast the action as a too-little, too-late attempt to score a political victory on an issue that has hampered Democrats.

Supportive Democrats praised Biden for acting to implement similar policies to the ones congressional Republicans blocked from moving through Congress earlier this year.

“As the president makes his announcement, let’s be very clear about one thing: legislation would have been the more effective way to go,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday.

“President Biden has been clear from the beginning he prefers legislation, but given how obstinate Republicans have become — turning down any real opportunity for strong border legislation — the president is left with little choice but to act on his own.”

Congressional Republicans came out in unison against Biden’s executive action, which will limit asylum applications at times of high traffic across the southern border…