Kennedy: Give Biden Border Policy A Grade — Witnesses Offer C And D-Minus

Senator John Kennedy asked two immigration experts during a June 2023 hearing to grade the Biden administration’s border policy. Costa offered a C: “Border has…so much money going to the border that I think the border is mostly secure. People are mostly turning themselves in. They’re not really crossing the border without authorization.” Costa cited Trump policies kept in place plus improvements. Sequeira asked: “Are we grading on curves, Senator?” Kennedy: “No, sir.” Sequeira: “I would be generous and say a D minus.” The exchange dramatized the gap between expert opinion on Biden border policy.

The Grade Question

Kennedy framing: “What grade, ABCDF, would you give President Biden’s administration on combating illegal immigration?”
Editorial reach: The framing structured assessment.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Costa Mostly Secure

Costa framing: “Border is mostly secure.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned moderate assessment.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Mostly Turning Themselves In

Costa framing: “People are mostly turning themselves in.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned encounter dynamics.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Not Crossing Without Authorization

Costa framing: “They’re not really crossing the border without authorization.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned legal entry.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Trump Policies Kept

Costa framing: “They kept some Trump policies in place.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned policy continuity.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The C Grade

Costa framing: “I’d probably be about a C right in the middle somewhere.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned moderate assessment.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Grading On Curves Question

Sequeira framing: “Are we grading on curves, Senator?”
Editorial reach: The framing dramatized assessment philosophy.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The D Minus Grade

Sequeira framing: “I would be generous and say a D minus.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned poor assessment.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Generous Framing

Sequeira framing: “I would be generous.”
Editorial reach: The framing positioned harsh assessment.
Hearing record: The framing is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The framing fed broader debates.
Long arc: The framing remained central to coverage.

The Expert Witness Layer

Editorial reach: Witnesses had immigration expertise.
Hearing record: The expert context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: Expert assessment continued through 2024.
Long arc: Expert assessment shaped subsequent debates.
Long arc: Expert assessment fed broader debates.

The Title 42 Aftermath

May 11 expiration: Title 42 expired in May 2023.
Editorial reach: The expiration shaped subsequent debates.
Hearing record: The aftermath context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The aftermath continued through 2024.
Long arc: The aftermath shaped subsequent debates.

The Border Encounters

Editorial reach: Border encounters declined modestly post-Title 42.
Hearing record: The encounter context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The encounters continued to be central.
Long arc: The encounters shaped subsequent debates.
Long arc: The encounters fed broader debates.

The CBP One App

Editorial reach: The app became central to legal entry processing.
Hearing record: The app context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The app continued through 2024.
Long arc: The app shaped subsequent debates.
Long arc: The app fed broader debates.

The Asylum Processing

Editorial reach: New asylum processing rules were central.
Hearing record: The processing context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The processing continued through 2024.
Long arc: The processing shaped subsequent debates.
Long arc: The processing fed broader debates.

The Mayorkas Public Posture

Editorial reach: Mayorkas was central to immigration debates.
Hearing record: The Mayorkas context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: Mayorkas continued through 2024.
Long arc: Mayorkas faced impeachment in February 2024.
Long arc: Mayorkas shaped subsequent debates.

The Republican Border Critique

Surge framing: Republicans framed border encounters as a Biden-driven surge.
Mayorkas focus: Republicans focused critique on Mayorkas.
Editorial reach: The critique shaped Republican messaging.
Long arc: The critique remained central to Republican messaging through 2024.
Long arc: The critique shaped subsequent debates.

The Democratic Defense

Editorial reach: Democrats defended Biden’s border posture.
Hearing record: The Democratic defense context is now in the formal record.
Long arc: The defense continued through 2024.
Long arc: The defense shaped subsequent debates.
Long arc: The defense fed broader debates.

The Public Communication Layer

Soundbite design: The exchange was structured for clip distribution.
Documentary value: The hearing record now contains a clean Republican framing.
Media uptake: The clip moved on conservative media as a Republican response argument.
Audience targeting: Kennedy’s style is built for retail political distribution.
Long arc: The framing remained central to Republican messaging through 2024.

The 2024 Implications

Election positioning: Both parties used immigration for 2024 positioning.
Immigration salience: Immigration became a defining 2024 election issue.
Long arc: The episode will shape immigration politics through 2024 and beyond.
Hearing legacy: The hearing record will be cited in future immigration debates.
Long arc: The framing remains in circulation.

The Bipartisan Bill Effort

Senate bipartisan effort: A bipartisan Senate effort emerged in late 2023-early 2024.
Editorial reach: The Senate effort produced a bipartisan deal in February 2024.
Failure: The deal failed in the Senate amid Republican opposition.
Long arc: The failure shaped 2024 election positioning.
Hearing record: The bipartisan effort context fed subsequent debates.

Key Takeaways

Kennedy asked immigration experts to grade Biden border policy.
Costa offered C, citing Trump policy continuity and improvements.
Sequeira offered D-minus, framing as “generous.”
Costa framed border as “mostly secure.”
The exchange dramatized expert assessment.
The framing fed broader Republican messaging.

Transcript Highlights

The following quotations are drawn from an AI-generated Whisper transcript of the hearing and should be considered unverified pending official transcript release.

“What grade, ABCDF, would you give President Biden’s administration on combating illegal immigration?” — Sen. Kennedy
“There’s so much money going to the border that I think the border is mostly secure” — Costa
“People are mostly turning themselves in. They’re not really crossing the border without authorization” — Costa
“I’d probably be about a C right in the middle somewhere” — Costa
“Are we grading on curves, Senator?” — Sequeira
“I would be generous and say a D minus” — Sequeira

Full transcript: 148 words transcribed via Whisper AI.