Biden is facing a difficult and potentially risky political situation because of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border.

Democrats who should be among his closest allies heading into next year’s presidential election are harshly criticizing his immigration policies. Donald Trump, his likely Republican opponent in 2024, is sharpening his attacks on a topic that has been a part of his political message for almost a decade. Biden’s popularity is eroding due to the current situation.

While voting is still more than a year away, the growing immigration crisis – which is being felt thousands of miles from the US-Mexico border in part because Republican governors have been sending newly arrived migrants to Democratic-run cities – could be a daunting political drag on Mr Biden’s popularity and reelection hopes.

There is a darkening picture painted by the numbers. The US Border Patrol apprehended approximately 210,000 undocumented migrants entering the country during September, according to preliminary US Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News. As a result, the number of apprehensions reached a record high in late 2022, coming close to matching the peak monthly apprehensions of the previous year.

This latest increase should dispel the notion that the border crisis was easing and the national spotlight was moving to other issues after government policy changes earlier this year.

Furthermore, the nature of the immigrant surge indicates that there may not be an end to it anytime soon. Approximately a quarter of the border apprehensions last month were Venezuelan citizens. Venezuela has been struggling politically and economically under Nicolas Maduro’s socialist dictatorship.

More than seven million Venezuelans have fled the country, causing a hemispheric refugee crisis – and its consequences are increasingly felt in the United States.