'Computable Disaster': Border Crisis Brings Focus On Biden's Competence As 2024 Looms

The end of Title 42 is expected to result in an unprecedented influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, and an expert believes the crisis, along with other White House mishaps over the past four years, would come into play as President Joe Biden aims for reelection in 2024.

"It's a big problem for Biden. Forget about states like New York and Illinois, where he'll win. There's a sense that things are out of control. Throw crime on top of it and you have a recipe for a computable disaster," Hank Sheinkopf, a New York City-based Democratic strategist, told NBC News.

According to Sheinkopf, the problem doesn't lie with who the president is because people, in general, aren't fond of chaotic situations. Instead, "the president tends to lose" whenever things go out of control in the country.

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), previously warned that the end of Title 42 would put a strain on border personnel, facilities and communities near the border.

Several border cities and even farther like Chicago and New York have already declared states of emergency due to the influx of migrants ahead of Title 42's expiry Thursday night, Time reported.

Title 42 is a Trump regime rule that allows border officials to immediately expel migrants at the U.S. border. The law is focused on ensuring the protection of the American public from disease during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As far back as December 2022, border cities have experienced the strain of the border crisis.

Dylan Corbett, director of the Catholic organization Hope Border Institute, which helps migrants in El Paso and Juarez, told the Associated Press that there was "a lot of pent-up pain" due to "government policies in disarray." Corbett said most of the work was being dumped to faith-based groups "to pick up the pieces and deal with the consequences."

Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the president appointed in 2021 to lead efforts at the border, has been accused of not doing her job as the Border Czar.

Earlier last year, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, introduced legislation to hold Harris and the Biden government accountable for what Jackson calls "the worst border crisis in American history."

Ahead of the border law's expiry, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told CBS News that officials were expecting "upwards of 60,000 migrants" to be waiting "in and around the immediate border area."

"We are over capacity in several of the sectors," Ortiz admitted, adding that border officials were cooperating with border communities and non-profit partners to ensure that migrants seeking asylum "pose no significant threat to the community."

Videos of the situation at the border suggest how the migrant crisis has affected surrounding communities and how difficult the path has been for migrants, officials and residents of border cities.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, visited the border hours before the end of Title 42 and spoke to reporters about the situation. "We are witnessing an absolute travesty unfolding on our southern border," he said, further revealing that on Monday alone, more than 10,000 people were apprehended at the border.

The border crisis is just one of Biden's many problems.

Among the latest issues that have been putting pressure on the Biden administration is the debt ceiling that Biden wants to be raised, but lawmakers are divided over the matter.

The debt ceiling, or debt limit, is the maximum amount of money the U.S. can borrow so it can meet its legal obligations, as per the Treasury Department.

Economists have warned that failing to reach an agreement about the debt ceiling and resorting to a standoff could hurt the American economy and even push the country into a recession.

Another fiasco that has been haunting the Biden government for nearly two years is the killings of 13 U.S. service members and dozens of other Afghans outside Kabul airport in a suicide bombing attack during the chaotic pullout of all U.S. military troops from Afghanistan in August 2021.

Aside from the problems the Biden administration has faced since he took over the White House in 2020, there have also been increasing concerns about the president's age and mental acuity.

In a recent election poll, former president Donald Trump led both Biden and another potential GOP nominee, Ron DeSantis of Florida. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents believed Biden was too old for another presidency.

"Just 32% overall think Biden has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president," ABC's Gary Langer wrote.

Meanwhile, Biden predicted earlier this week that scenes at the U.S.-Mexico border after the lifting of Title 42 would be "chaotic for a while." His government has established a new set of border policies to crack down on illegal crossings and offer legal means for migrants to move to the U.S.