Biden again on defensive over handling of border as migrants die

Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott (TX), roundly blamed Biden for the dozens of migrants who were found in the back of a tractor-trailer that had been parked on the side of a dirt road just miles from downtown San Antonio on Monday evening, leaving more than 50 dead. In response, Biden released a statement calling for a crackdown on criminal smugglers.

MIGRANT TRUCK DEATHS IN TEXAS PUT BIDEN BORDER CRISIS ON WORLD’S RADAR

“As always, I am grateful for the swift work of all of the Federal, state, and local first responders,” the president wrote. “While we are still learning all the facts about what happened and the Department of Homeland Security has the lead for the investigation, initial reports are that this tragedy was caused by smugglers or human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit.”

The tragic incident repeated a pattern established early in Biden’s presidency — a headline-grabbing event happens at the southern border, whereupon Biden gets criticized for it and then calls for action. This also occurred when agents with the Department of Homeland Security were reported to be “whipping” migrants from Haiti, with Biden denouncing the agents and calling for an investigation that has since stalled.

In this case, Abbott and others unleashed criticism of Biden as news of the tractor-trailer incident spread, leading Biden to issue his statement calling for the crackdown.

“These deaths are on Biden,” Abbott tweeted Monday night. “They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a reporter’s question by saying that the border is, in fact, closed.

“The fact of the matter is the border is closed, which is in part why you see people trying to make this dangerous journey using smuggling networks,” Jean-Pierre said. “Our hearts go out to the families at this time. We are going to stay focused on the facts and making sure we hold these smugglers accountable.”

Democratic strategist Brad Bannon acknowledged that Biden often appears to be on the back foot when it comes to immigration due to Republican attacks but says the critics are hypocrites.

“Back when the second President Bush was in the White House, he proposed an immigration compromise which would spend billions of dollars more on border security, create a path to citizenship, and stiffen penalties on employers who used undocumented immigrant labor,” Bannon said. “Barack Obama proposed pretty much the same package when he was president. Biden said he supported the same package during his campaign. Republicans in the Senate steadfastly refused to accept this compromise, and they perpetuate the problem.”

Bannon feels that Biden should be more aggressive in calling out this hypocrisy.

“If the Republicans are really serious about this problem, they would support the common-sense solutions proposed by George W. Bush,” he said. “Republicans shouldn’t complain about the president being slow because they’ve been stuck in molasses on this issue for years.”

Vice President Kamala Harris was named “border czar” after taking office last January, but reports have surfaced that she is unhappy with the gig and has attracted her own share of GOP critics. Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) introduced legislation in March to remove Harris from the border czar role.

Numbers show that border crossings have steeply risen since Biden took office.

Since January 2021, the number of noncitizens apprehended attempting to enter the country or denied admission at a port of entry has increased threefold, reaching over 200,000 encounters per month on several occasions. Just within this fiscal year, more than 3,000 people have been found by Border Patrol agents inside commercial trucks, many of which do not have air conditioning.

Over 2 million migrants were stopped while attempting to enter the country illegally along the southern border in 2021, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this year.

Republicans have blamed the record-high numbers on Biden’s decision to roll back numerous Trump-era immigration policies, including restrictions implemented during the coronavirus pandemic that reduced the number of visas issued to immigrants. Democrats, meanwhile, cite the economic crisis across Latin America, exacerbated during the pandemic, driving migrants’ attempts to enter the United States.

If Biden is ever going to take charge at the southern border, he would have to reject nearly everything he’s done in office, says Heritage Foundation visiting fellow Tom Homan.

“This administration came in and purposefully unsecured the most secure border we’ve ever had,” said Homan, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director under the Trump administration. “I don’t think it’s by accident. You can’t tell me one thing this administration has done to slow the flow of migrants across the border.”

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Biden chose to end Trump-era policies such as “Remain in Mexico” that had secured the border and is still trying to end the pandemic-era Title 42 policy that led to migrants being expelled, Homan argues. The message, whether explicit or implicit, is that Biden’s administration does not want the border closed.

“Their ideology is to support open borders,” Homan said. “I personally think this administration has sold themselves to the progressive Left. They are consciously doing everything they can to make this system more friendly to illegal immigration.”