The White House pointed to increased removals as evidence of its commitment to combating illegal immigration as border crossings have set new records under President Joe Biden.
Biden has spent the last several weeks urging Republicans to join him in backing a border deal in Congress that House Republicans refuse to support. His administration says legislation is needed to fix the southern border, even though Biden took dozens of immigration-related executive actions upon entering office.
“Immigration has definitely risen since Biden took office, even without legislation being passed,” the Washington Examiner asked during Friday’s White House press briefing. “It’s much higher now than it was five years ago. So why is that if it’s not because of Biden’s executive actions?”
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded by again making the case that legislation is needed and pointing to increased deportations that have accompanied the surge in border crossings.
“I will say since May of last year, [the Department of Homeland Security] has removed or returned more than 565,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom crossed the southern border,” she said. “You know, 565,000 removals and returns is more than every fiscal year since 2013.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
She said DHS remains committed to doing all in its power to help.
“DHS has been doing everything that it can to get that done,” she said. “But we need to do more, which is why the president worked with the Senate in a bipartisan way. We’ve gotta see that bipartisan border deal move forward.”
