WH says ‘the border is not open’ as thousands of migrants cross into US
The White House argued on Monday that the southern border was not open despite thousands of migrants crossing into the United States in recent days.
“It would be wrong to think that the border is open. It’s not open, and I just want to be very, very clear on that,” insisted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Thousands of migrants have already crossed the border in December, taking advantage of Biden’s weak deportation and border security guidelines.
Earlier in December, 11,000 migrants were reportedly apprehended in a week by border officials, and another 3,200 escaped without being arrested. In a single weekend, 7,400 migrants entered the border town of El Paso, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Biden has remained silent on the ongoing crisis, telling reporters earlier this month that “bigger things” are going on than the border.
President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (Susan Walsh/AP)
The White House also reacted on Wednesday to the upcoming lifting of the Title 42 order. Title 42 currently allows the United States to deport asylum-seeking migrants, forcing them to wait in Mexico while their claims are heard. by a court.
The Biden administration has not attempted to appeal a court order to lift Title 42, as up to 50,000 migrants are estimated to be waiting in Mexico to enter the United States at the southern border.
But the White House has played down the idea that lifting Title 42 would encourage more migrants to enter the United States.
“The fact that the removal of title 42 happens in a day or two does not mean that the border is open,” said Jean-Pierre.
She said the idea that it would be easier to cross the border after Title 42 was lifted would be “misinformation”.
“We are doing the smuggler’s job if we are spreading false information,” she said.
At no point did Jean-Pierre say the border was “closed,” but continued to use the phrase “not open” in his prepared talking points.
“We will continue to fully enforce our immigration laws in a fair, orderly and humane manner,” she said.
breitbart
