Democratic lawmakers say suggesting immigration crimes are on the rise is a “racial thing” following the death of nursing student Laken Riley, who was campaigning for President Biden ahead of Thursday’s event at the southern border. He argued that it was discriminatory.
“This immigrant crime narrative is racist,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said Wednesday at a news conference organized by the president’s reelection campaign. According to the Washington Examiner.
“That’s not true,” he insisted.
“Donald Trump claims we are poisoning the blood of this country, but the facts do not support that.
“Immigration reduces crime across the board. So every time this story comes to the fore, it’s just a false narrative.”
The Biden administration has faced criticism for its immigration policies and high-profile violent crimes across the country related to immigrants, even as homicide rates in major cities and across the country declined last year as the migrant crisis surged. There is. .
In Georgia, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan national, is accused of punching Riley in the skull during a brutal attack on the University of Georgia campus.
And in New York City, police are cracking down on a Venezuelan gang known as Torren de Aragua, whose members are accused of assaulting police officers and participating in numerous robberies.
One of the issues hampering border officials’ ability to screen known criminals at the border is the lack of resources available to check criminal backgrounds.
“When someone is arrested for entering the country illegally, there is limited investigation into their background,” said Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. he told NewsNation.
“Here in the United States, their fingerprints are matched against our records, and not all countries share their records with us,” he explained.
“So if we don’t have access to their records, if they haven’t committed a crime here in the United States, all we have to do is do what they say.
“Unfortunately, C.B.P. [Customs and Border Protection] I have no interest in closing that loophole,” Cabrera said. “Unfortunately, we will continue down this path.”
But Biden on Wednesday sought to tout his efforts to fight crime across the country, saying his administration’s investments in local police departments and high-crime cities under the American Rescue Plan have lowered the nation’s homicide rate.
“From the beginning, my administration has worked with law enforcement, mayors, and community leaders to do what we know works to keep our residents safe,” he said. according to tHe’s the Washington Times.
Hours later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the administration could not discuss specifics about Riley’s death because it was still under investigation.
She also declined to say whether Biden would contact his family, but called the situation “heartbreaking,” The Washington Times reported.
This is expected to be the president’s second visit to the southern border since taking office.
He is scheduled to head to Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, at the same time that his leading opponent, former President Donald Trump, is scheduled to campaign in Eagle Pass, Texas, about 300 miles away.
White House officials said that during his visit, the president “meeted with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, front-line personnel, and local leaders to discuss the urgent need to pass a bipartisan border security agreement in the Senate.” We’ll talk about it.”
The package includes more than $20 billion for border security and would fund additional Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as additional asylum and immigration officials.
Mr. Biden’s visit included Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Congressman Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas), local elected officials, as well as representatives from Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Customs Enforcement. Immigration officials will also accompany them.
