Menendez: Biden could be "asylum denier-in-chief" from family detention policy

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said Sunday that he fears President Biden could become the "asylum denier-in-chief" if he restarts a policy detaining families that illegally cross into the U.S.

The big picture: Menendez's remarks come after reports this week that Biden was considering reinstating the controversial policy, setting off criticism from some Democrats and immigration activists.

• The possibility of restarting family detention has been discussed in recent high-level meetings, sources familiar with the conversations told Axios' Stef Kight.
• "If the administration does go down this path, I am afraid that the president will become the asylum denier-in-chief," Menendez said on NBC News' Meet the Press.
• Biden halted the policy in 2021, which Menendez said was "the best part of the administration's immigration policy over the first two years."

What he's saying: "What we need is a comprehensive plan to deal with the border and what are the elements, the push and pull factors, that bring people to this country," Menendez said.

• "We need to find legal pathways so that people don't surge to the border because they are fleeing," he continued.
• "We need to work with Central America and the Mexican government to also be part of the solution," he said.

Go deeper... Biden's immigration moves could put huge population in limbo