So when did the surge begin? Maybe right around the time of a September 2019 Democratic presidential debate, as Biden was accused by Univision journalist Jorge Ramos of supporting deportations of illegal immigrants when he was vice president in the Obama administration.

Ramos: “Are you prepared to say tonight that you and President [Barack] Obama made a mistake [on deportations]? Why should Latinos trust you?”

Biden answered by criticizing Donald Trump’s handling of migrants at the border, defending Obama’s, and adding:

“I would in fact make sure that there is, that we immediately surge to the border — all those people are seeking asylum. They deserve to be heard,” Biden said. “That’s who we are. We’re a nation that says, ‘If you want to flee and you’re fleeing oppression, you should come.'”

Flee they did. And come they did, surging. Some came wearing T-shirts reading, “Biden, please let us in.”