In an interview Wednesday, Fox News' Martha McCollum directly told White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby that the administration's border policies are failing.
Kirby said his administration is determined to “change the way” border officials process immigrants entering the United States and “crack down” on illegal immigration. He cited the administration's national security supplement. request This would allocate additional funds to increase the number of Border Patrol agents.
McCollum said President Joe Biden appears eager to take action at the border because he has the authority to take executive action.
“So, John, he doesn't seem to have enough fire in his belly to keep people out. He seems fine with the opposite,” McCallum told Kirby.
“No, Martha, I don't agree with you,” Kirby replied. “I don't think he has any sense of urgency about the need for border security. He has taken some executive actions, such as sending the U.S. military to the area to lift some of the border security and some of the missions. “We are relieving them of some of their responsibilities so that they can focus on immigration work itself.'' ”
McCollum and Kirby mentioned the Biden administration's request to cut the razor wire that Texas officials installed at the border to ease the influx of migrants entering the country. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the administration in Monday's ruling, with Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts ruling in favor of the liberal justices.
Kirby said the White House opposes razor wire because it allegedly prevents Border Patrol agents from accessing certain areas to carry out their duties. (Related article: Stupid remarks against John Kirby: Why is Biden 'making it easier for people to enter the country illegally?')
“You say it's not like there's no urgency. He's in his third year as president. This is not just the same old immigration issue that we've had for 10 years, as he said the other day. . These are record numbers all the time,” McCallum added. “And it's the people of Iowa and New Hampshire who are voicing concerns about that. This is Iowa and New Hampshire, not Arizona and Texas. So people feel like there's no urgency to address this issue. In fact, I've talked to many voters over the past few weeks who think the opposite has happened and why the president is doing everything he can to stop it. “I'm trying to understand why they don't do it.”
Kirby said Congress' support is needed because there are limits to the executive actions the president can pass to address border issues. He added that talks between the White House and the Senate are “making progress.”
“I mean, it's not,” McCollum replied. “And you said he's been worrying about that for three years, and it's clearly failing. Because record numbers of people coming into the country means that the policy is failing. So why not shift gears and do something effective?”
“I think it's important to put this in context, too, Martha. You're rightly seeing record numbers of people, but the United States is not alone in facing that pressure. No. Many countries in the hemisphere, including Mexico, face significant pressure on their southern borders, meaning more people are on the move in this hemisphere now than since World War II. .”
“John, are there borders?” McCallum asked. “Is there a border to the south?”
“Is there something?” Kirby asked.
“Is there a border to the south?” she repeated, and he answered, “Yes.”
Mr Kirby assured the government was “working extremely hard” to counter the record number of migrant arrests. Around 300,000 migrants crossed the border in December, a record high. So far, there have been about 2.5 million arrests in fiscal year 2023 and another 483,000 in fiscal year 2024. according to to Customs and Border Protection.
