The White House on Friday blamed Republicans and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when asked about their response to the chaos a day earlier in which more than 100 migrants broke through razor wire along the southern border and entered Texas.
“What does President Biden think should happen to a grown man who assaults and overwhelms the U.S. National Guard?” FOX News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
He said the Biden administration was “grateful” that U.S. Border Patrol agents were able to control the situation in El Paso, Texas, before criticizing Abbott’s hardline border policies.
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The White House is condemning Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after footage showed more than 100 illegal immigrants storming the border in El Paso on Thursday. (Mega/Getty Images)
“They were able to do their job even though the Republicans, especially Governor Abbott, made it difficult for them,” she said. “We have a governor, Governor Abbott, who is politicizing it.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott’s office.
Jean-Pierre also criticized Senate Republicans for not supporting a bipartisan border bill to shore up resources to combat the influx of illegal immigrants.
Video footage published by the New York Post shows dozens of adult men ripping off state-installed razor wire and charging past Texas National Guard troops. They then ran toward a section of the border wall from which no further access was possible.
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On Thursday, a group of more than 100 migrants attempted to break through the border wall and illegally enter the country in El Paso, Texas. In the process, the migrants defeat the Texas National Guard before being stopped by the border fence. (James Breeden, New York Post/Mega)
“This video does not show a helpless woman or child pleading for a safe place. It shows an adult man in military uniform unloading hay to U.S. troops. If that were happening elsewhere in the world, wouldn’t President Biden be sending reinforcements?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre noted that all were arrested by Border Patrol agents but could not say whether they were deported.
“The governor of Texas put the Texas National Guard there. We didn’t put them there. He put them there. What we need are actual real solutions.” she said.
Mr. Abbott has taken a strong stance against illegal immigration in the state. Texas is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Biden administration over a state law that makes illegal immigration a state crime. Texas is also busing thousands of migrants to Democratic strongholds such as New York and Chicago and tightening security at its border with Mexico.
“The Biden administration’s mental gymnastics are astonishing,” Abbott spokesman Andrew Maharelis told Fox News Digital in a statement. ”[Thurday’s] El Paso’s population boom is a direct result of the unsustainable chaos President Biden has caused in the border region.
“As President Biden’s dangerous open border policies encourage migrants from more than 150 countries to make dangerous and illegal crossings between ports of entry, Texas is leveraging all tools and strategies to deter and repel illegal immigration. I will continue to do so.”
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 189,922 encounters with migrants at the southern border in February, a record high for the month.
Border Patrol apprehended 140,644 illegal immigrants last month, the second-highest February total for Border Patrol on record in fiscal year 2022, which was 159,170.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
