The White House has continually pointed to Congress' failure to pass President Joe Biden's “Day 1” immigration plan as a key reason for the border crisis. But the administration did not mention that the president reversed numerous Trump-era hawkish policies on his first day in office.
Biden signed series Executive Order of January 20, 2021, While halting construction of the Trump administration's border wall and revoking the former president's deportation order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a 100-day deportation order. moratorium About all deportations. Illegal immigration has surged to record levels under the Biden administration, with Border Patrol recording more than 2.2 million encounters at the southern border in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million encounters in fiscal year 2023. according to to federal data. (Related: Border Patrol Agents Quietly Support Texas' Move to Seize Border Area)
In December alone, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants were encountered at the southern border, a record high for the month. according to On Fox News.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre argued that Congress needs to resolve the situation by adopting Biden's day-one immigration plan.
“First of all, this is why the president has been negotiating with Republican and Democratic senators in recent weeks to address what's been going on with regards to border security. This is why the president, on his first day “That's why we proposed a comprehensive immigration plan, and the president is grateful that this discussion is taking place in the Senate, after more than three years of no action by Congress,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. He told the group. twenty two.
January 18th, Jean Pierre share A similar message was sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said now is not the time for immigration reform because it is “complicated” and will take time.
“Ensuring we control our borders is not that complicated. It's not. It's not. If people come together in good faith, as we have done in the Senate, we will get this done. We can do this. We can do this,” Jean-Pierre said. Said Prime Minister Johnson's remarks were conveyed at a press conference.
“And remember, the president actually put out a comprehensive immigration proposal almost three years ago. That was very — almost three years ago. It took us three years. “It took us three years to work on something. If that's something Chairman Johnson is concerned about, we've had three years to work on it,” she added.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with a U.S. Border Patrol agent in front of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, January 8, 2023 (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP, Getty Images)
biden canceled trump era order Withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions across the country and remove illegal aliens from the country. He also ended the state of emergency that former President Donald Trump used to provide funding. construction Wall along the southern border.
Chad Wolf, Trump's acting Homeland Security secretary, was at the helm of the department when many of the policies Biden overturned took effect.
“President Biden has been campaigning on allowing people into the country,” Wolf said, “combining that with ICE removal officers saying that simply crossing the border illegally is no longer grounds for removal. and ICE attorneys,” Wolff told DCNF.
Wolf also pointed to a statement from Biden's Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, that said: memo On September 30, 2021, he told ICE that “the mere fact that an individual is a removable noncitizen should not be the basis for enforcement action against that individual.”
“All the things we've done so far will contribute to everything and send a signal that the border is open and people can come freely,” Wolf said.
The Biden administration has been pressuring Texas in recent days to withdraw from the southern border area it captured in Eagle Pass, Texas. The state installed razor wire in the area to deter illegal crossings, but the Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal authorities can remove the wire.
Texas continues to install wire in the area and has rejected the Biden administration's request to relinquish control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass.
The White House did not respond to DCNF's request for comment.
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