White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday downplayed the idea that President Biden’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday was political, blaming Republicans for exacerbating the crisis. He accused him of doing so.
President Biden and his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, both plan to duel to the border on Thursday. Mr. Biden will visit Brownsville, while Mr. Trump will visit the Eagle Pass area of Texas, which has been the site of a number of illegal border crossings and is a flashpoint in the ongoing battle between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden administration.
Presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks with reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on February 28, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In response to a reporter’s question, Jean-Pierre said that Biden’s visit was simply a reaction to Trump’s (not to mention it was during a campaign period), saying that it was difficult for the president to change his schedule so suddenly. said that it could not be done.
”[The president] When Republicans rejected the Senate’s bipartisan bill on border security on immigration policy to repair a system that has been broken for decades, he said he would take it directly to the American people, while simultaneously addressing the issue every day. Hear from law enforcement and front-line workers who are working on this,” Jean-Pierre said.
Despite reversing many Trump-era border policies when he took office, President Biden has repeatedly said his hands are tied when it comes to the border issue and said the issue must be resolved through legislation. .
A bipartisan border security deal backed by Biden that was forged by Senate negotiators amid an unprecedented surge in migrants collapsed in early February after President Trump signaled his disapproval. That, in turn, gave the White House ammunition to accuse Republicans of not taking the border issue seriously.
White House calls on sanctuary cities to help fight ice amid uproar over illegal immigration crimes
Jean-Pierre said Republicans who rejected the deal are “getting in the way” when it comes to border improvements.
”For this president, this is not a political issue. This is about how to solve the issues that most Americans care about: our broken immigration system and our border challenges. That’s why the president thought it was important to withdraw at this time,” Jean-Pierre said.
Fox News’ Jackie Heinrich noted that the administration has often criticized Republicans who travel to the border and hold similar press conferences, dismissing them as “publicity stunts” or “photo ops.”
Jean-Pierre said Biden’s visit was “completely different” and reiterated his claim that Republicans are “constantly getting in the way.”
“They’re constantly getting in the way of the president trying to get more resources,” Jean-Pierre said. “They’re trying to turn this into a political stunt by listening to Donald Trump and saying we need to kill Trump.”
Asylum seekers cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico into the United States on September 30, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Regarding suggestions that Biden happened to be visiting the border in an election year, even though it has been an issue for the past three years, Jean-Pierre pointed to the “comprehensive immigration policy.”
“He did it on day one. It was his first bill. He wanted the American people to know how serious this president is or how serious he is about solving this problem. “There is,” she said.
Maryland begins ice cooperation following past occupation incidents and release of illegal immigrants
After taking office, Biden signed two executive orders on immigration, promising to reverse many of the policies put in place by his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Within months, Biden took more than 90 actions related to the border.
Migrants flow into the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas. The Biden administration’s plan would force many immigrants to remain in Texas as their asylum cases unfold, according to reports. (Texas DPS)
Under the president’s administration, illegal immigration has skyrocketed to historic levels. According to a 2023 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report, the number of undocumented immigrants on detainer records will increase from 3.7 million in 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in 2022 and 6.2 million in 2023. The number rapidly increased to nearly 10,000.
Thursday will be Biden’s second border visit since taking office. The region he is visiting, the Rio Grande Valley that includes Brownsville, has become a stronghold for Biden, where illegal crossings have plummeted.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The region is also a friendly congressional district, as Border Security Coalition President Brandon Judd pointed out, largely because of the infrastructure President Trump provided during his time in office, and more recently due to President Trump’s actions. Historically, illegal traffic has been relatively rare. Texas Governor Greg Abbott since Biden took office.
