Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy on Thursday asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Vice President Kamala Harris' response to the border crisis.
Doocy read from a card handed out to House Democrats that included talking points about Harris and her role in responding to the border crisis. President Joe Biden Appointed Harris gave the speech on March 24, 2021, to address the influx of migrants from Northern Triangle countries and Mexico.
“So the first question is, VP Harris has never been appointed to be border secretary. There has never been such a position and it does not exist. Why are Democrats so sensitive about the vice president and the border?” Doocy asked.
“Why are Republicans so sensitive about not admitting that they're standing in the way of a border deal? Why?” Jean-Pierre said. “Why won't they admit it? Why won't they join the former president? [who] “Telling them not to move forward? It was a bipartisan agreement, it was available to them, and they voted against it twice. Twice. Why are they so sensitive to actually moving forward and actually addressing the issue that most Americans care about, which is what's happening at the border?”
Jean-Pierre was referring to the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which would close the border if the weekly average number of illegal immigrants exceeds 5,000 per day. Senate Republicans blocked the bill on February 7, and House Republicans declared the bill “dead as it comes.”
Doocy: “Why are Democrats so sensitive about the VP and the border?”
KJP: “Why are Republicans so sensitive about not acknowledging the fact that they’re standing in the way of a border deal?” pic.twitter.com/gxDpLNqNq5
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 25, 2024
Doocy suggested Harris' failure to address the root causes of migration has made the crisis a hot topic ahead of the election in 2024. Jean-Pierre denied that Biden had appointed Harris as “border minister” and praised both the vice president and Biden for “taking action” to alleviate the border crisis. (RELATED: 'Hidden from the American public': Doocy directly demands KJP reveal who covered up Biden's mental condition)
“So we're going to debunk this false portrayal of the vice president. She was not a border patrol officer, and we're not the only ones saying that. Independent fact checkers are saying the same thing: that it didn't exist and that's not true,” Jean-Pierre responded.
Vice President Harris' only visit to the border took place 90 days after she took office, on June 25, 2021. After visiting Guatemala and Mexico, she visited the border in El Paso, Texas, where she toured Border Patrol facilities and processing centers.
The White House and liberal media have denied reports that Harris is a “border minister” and said she was appointed solely to address the root causes of migration.
Axios article An article titled “Harris' border turmoil plagues her new campaign” was published on Wednesday, pointing out in a community note on X that the outlet had called Harris the “border czar” in 2021. Axios reporter Shauna Chen wrote, piece In April 2021, Harris, Biden's nominee for 'Border Secretary,' said she would investigate the 'root causes' that drive migration.
The number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border is set to exceed a record high of 2.3 million in fiscal year 2022 and 2.4 million in fiscal year 2023. according to To the Customs and Immigration Bureau. So far in fiscal year 2024, the number of encounters has exceeded 1.8 million.
On Thursday, six Democrats joined House Republicans in sponsoring a resolution condemning Harris for “failing to secure the United States border.”
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