As President Joe Biden just learned, no good deed goes unpunished.

Biden finally took executive action Tuesday that will turn away illegal immigrants at the southern border seeking asylum when there is a high volume of daily encounters.

That “high volume” is a seven-day average of daily crossings exceeding 2,500 between ports of entry, according to reports.

Meaning now.

This is too little, too late of course, as cities and states around the county have long taken the strain of paying for the housing and care of migrants, and in certain areas seen an increase in crime, sometimes violent, by the very migrants these cities are trying to help.

“Families seeking a better life” is a thread of the migrant narrative, but it’s not the only one. Some are criminals seeking a new chance to make a quick buck, or bring harm and fear to communities. They’re already here, and Biden’s move won’t do much to ease the problem.

What it does do is pinch the hose a bit, slowing the rate of migrants crossing the border. Which is why the left is furious.

House liberals — particularly those in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — are blasting Biden’s move, saying it belies America’s historic place as a global refuge for persecuted people, The Hill reported.

“I’m disappointed that this is a direction that the president has decided to take,” Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told reporters in the Capitol Tuesday morning.

Spoken like someone who hasn’t had their neighborhood “selected” to house migrants, and their schools pressed to enroll an influx of students.

As WPRI reported, Sen. Ed Markey called Biden’s order “irresponsible and ill-advised.”

“The United States has long embraced its obligation to provide refuge to people fleeing persecution. People fleeing violence and unstable conditions helped build the United States, and our country has recognized the duty to continue providing vulnerable populations safe harbor. This asylum ban threatens this foundational promise and pushes the United States in the wrong direction,” Markey wrote.

Democrats are blaming Republicans for the problem, as is their wont.

The American Civil Liberties Union is also weighing in, saying Tuesday  it planned to sue the Biden administration over the policy.

“The Biden administration just announced an executive order that will severely restrict people’s legal right to seek asylum, putting tens of thousands of lives at risk,” the ACLU posted on X.

Biden can’t please everyone in his party, and that’s the problem. He’s been trying before he moved into the White House.

He gave disgruntled Bernie Bros. input on his agenda to better match that of their candidate Bernie Sanders, and he’s spent the last three years pandering to a youthful voting bloc. Billions in student loan forgiveness and billions more added to the national debt – it’s not so much what’s good for America, but what will grease the skids for another term as president.

Now, with his move in immigration, Biden’s at a crossroads. Stemming the flow of migrants signals that he’s doing something about the border so burdened Blue State voters will stay with him. But it also makes him vulnerable to those on the left who think the border should be open to all.

That’s what happens when you govern by appeasement rather than direction.

Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)