Democrats are divided on who to blame for the escalating conflict at the southern border. Vice President Kamala Harris declined to comment on the issue, saying she has not been updated on the situation.
Democrats are divided on the border crisis
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - MARCH 16: A United States flag flies at the U.S.-Mexico border on March 16, 2021 as seen from the Mexican side at Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The same day, some 50 asylum seekers crossed there as part of the Biden administration's unwinding of the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, (MPP), also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy. Many of the asylum seekers, most from Central America, had been waiting in Mexico for more than a year. The immigrants are now free to travel to destinations within the United States pending asylum court hearings.
Progressives are opposed to the use of migrant detention facilities and have voiced their frustration with President Joe Biden. The liberal Democratic leadership has tended to blame the situation on former President Donald Trump's policies.
As of Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is standing by the president, telling MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that "the president has been in office not even two months." The top House Democrat continued, noting that they are all impatient to reunite children separated from their parents at the border.
According to NY Post, Pelosi refused to blame the new White House occupant for the situation afflicting the southern border, although she did admit that it was a crisis. Meanwhile, at his weekly Wednesday press conference, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries said, "The facts on the ground have made clear that the beginnings of a rise in young people arriving at our southern border began prior to Joe Biden's victory."
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, refused to categorize the situation as a crisis. He added, "I wouldn't call it a crisis, but it sure is a problem."
But Rep. Ro Khanna, a staunch Democrat, told MSNBC over the weekend that Biden's treatment of the case was "morally unacceptable" and that "human rights abuses" were occurring. Meanwhile, Vice President Harris reported that she was not aware of the situation and refused to comment on Wednesday. After being asked if she was concerned about the children on the border, Harris made the admission to reporters before boarding a plane to Joint Base Andrews.
President Biden unleashed a wave of Central American and Mexican illegal migrants at the U.S. border, including thousands of unaccompanied minors, by undoing former President Donald Trump's border measures. In his first month in office, Biden completed Trump's signature border wall and continued to implement Trump's "Remain in Mexico" scheme, which saw over 71,000 Central American asylum seekers wait for decisions in Mexico.
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Biden loses messaging battle with migrants
As the Biden administration continues to resist labeling the border situation a crisis, Democrats have begun to recognize the issue's scope. The White House's losing messaging struggle with Central Americans willing to enter the country, as per Newsweek.
Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, who serves a border district and has been outspoken about his disapproval of the Biden administration's immigration policies, told Newsweek about his visit to the Carrizo Springs detention facility in Texas on Friday.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday that "the situation at the southwest border is complicated" and that the department is working around the clock to control it. At briefings protested by Texas Democrats, Mayorkas and Roberta Jacobson, the White House coordinator for the southern border, expressed the message that migrants should not come now but should come later until the system for legitimate asylum requests for Central America is in place.
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Officials say Biden is wrong not to acknowledge migrant 'crisis'
According to the Biden administration sources, the president and his subordinates were wrong in not calling the border situation a "crisis." Meanwhile, in the middle of a border crisis and overburdened infrastructure, President Biden said Tuesday that he has no intentions to fly to the southern border "at the moment."
Republicans have criticized Biden for the surge despite reversing several Trump-era immigration restrictions that he considered inhumane, including ending the "Remain-in-Mexico" program and reintroducing "catch-and-release." For 11 million undocumented immigrants, Biden's immigration policy requires a road to citizenship. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas characterized the border issue as "difficult" on Tuesday but avoided using the word "crisis," as the White House has, Fox News reported.
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