Republicans say they will not give more money to an administration they cannot trust to enforce immigration laws. Instead they are trying to impeach the secretary of homeland security. Democrats look at Republican demands, such as that families coming into the country can be detained indefinitely, and conclude that negotiations are being set up to fail and are therefore really a weapon against Mr Biden. The odds are that both parties will choose campaigning over dealmaking.

That should worry Mr Biden. Our reporting from the Mexican side of the border suggests that, if people believe Mr Trump will win, many more will try to cross into America before he is inaugurated. Insecure borders weaken support for legal immigration and boost restrictionist parties. Immigration could bring Mr Trump back to the White House, from where he might pull America out of the refugee convention of 1951, causing it to collapse. Mr Biden should call the Republicans’ bluff, roll up his sleeves and set out to fix the border. That would be the right thing to do. It would also help his prospects.

[He’s had three years to do it and still hasn’t acted. It’s not a question of priorities, but a question of policy. His policy is to keep the border as wide open as possible. Americans have had enough of it, especially in northern cities where immigrants are coming by the thousands for “sanctuary.” — Ed]