As the White House seeks a border security deal, former President Trump apparently attacked President Biden for “not having a bill” when the Biden administration had “the most secure border in history.”
Trump’s comments on Wednesday came after Biden insisted earlier this week that he had done everything possible to secure the U.S. border.
Biden insists we’ve done ‘everything we can’ to secure the border
“I’ve done everything I could. Just give me strength,” Biden told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday.
“I asked them the day I took office,” Biden said. “Give me Border Patrol. Give me judges. Give me the people who can stop this.”
Trump, the 2024 Republican front-runner, appeared to contradict Biden’s claims and urged Republicans to avoid joining the border deal, which is still being negotiated in the Senate.
President Biden prepares to depart the White House in Washington, DC on December 8, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“There’s never been a border like this anywhere in the world,” Trump said, adding, “The wrong border deal would be worse than no deal at all.”
“We don’t need an agreement to strengthen our borders to make them safe,” he continued. “I had the most secure border in history. I had no treaties, I had no bills.
“I said I don’t want people coming, I don’t want drugs coming, I don’t want human trafficking that no one talks about. That’s number one.”
Trump added: “You have the right to close your borders…We don’t need a bill.”
He also said the people who are crossing illegally are people about whom U.S. authorities know nothing.
Former President Donald Trump points at a supporter at the end of a campaign rally at the Atkinson Country Club on January 16 in Atkinson, New Hampshire. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“Right now, we have no idea who the people who are coming into our country are,” Trump said. “Last night I saw them beating the police in New York City. They don’t speak English, they just came in. No one knows who they are or where they’re from. And What’s very important is where are they coming from?” All I can say is that they are coming from jails and prisons. They come from psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric hospitals. ”
He added: “And they are terrorists. They have a lot of terrorists coming too, and we don’t want them. I’m sorry, but as you know, our borders have been very strong.” added.
Mayorkas slams Republicans’ ‘baseless’ allegations ahead of crucial impeachment vote
The Biden administration has requested $14 billion in border funding as part of its request for additional funding from Congress, which includes aid to Ukraine and Israel. The request is being negotiated in Congress after Republicans called for further restrictions on asylum and the release of migrants into the interior.
Mr. Biden is pushing Congress to pass the deal, but House Republicans and some conservatives in the Senate say the reported proposals do not go far enough.
Migrants cross the border from Mexico and wait to be processed by the U.S. Border Patrol, with the U.S.-Mexico border wall in the background, on Aug. 6, 2022, in Yuma, Arizona. (Qian Weizhong/VCG, via Getty Images)
The Biden administration has said it has expanded “legal channels” for immigrants while increasing the impact of illegal entry into the United States since Title 42 deportations ended last May. It notes that more than 500,000 people have been forcibly taken away since then, and that cooperation with Mexico has increased to crack down on human smugglers and fentanyl trafficking.
The administration also said it was increasing removal flights, including direct flights to Venezuela. But the country has stressed that it needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform to fix its “broken” system.
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The number of immigrants in 2013 was 2.4 million, but in December, the number officially reached 302,000, a new record. Republicans blamed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a “dereliction of duty” in his response, arguing that mass releases into the interior and a rollback of Trump-era policies accelerated the crisis.
The House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday approved two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas along party lines, with a floor vote to impeach the embattled Biden official expected as early as next week.
