President Biden is stuck between growing calls to help the Democratic-controlled cities, the politics of the vulnerable issue and what the administration views as legal handcuffs prohibiting much action.
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How the migrant crisis in blue states sparks a political disaster for Biden
Tensions between the Biden administration and local Democrats are coming to a head as shelters around the country overflow and thousands of immigrants arrive in major cities.
The big picture
In cities like New York, Boston and Chicago, a humanitarian crisis for people hoping for new lives in the U.S. has become desperate.
Between the lines
Republican governors have responded to unprecedented crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border with massive efforts to bus migrants to other destinations.
Go deeper
The government has struggled to balance humanitarian concerns about detaining migrant children while enforcing immigration laws amid a rise in families illegally crossing the border to seek asylum.
The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve a temporary housing program for migrant families that illegally cross the southern border — a plan that would give them more freedom than traditional detention.
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