For weeks, the Biden government has struggled to keep up with the flow of migrants on the southern border, raising questions about the impact of its policies and whether it will deliver on the promises that then-candidate Biden made during the campaign.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the matter during her press conference on Tuesday, prompting her to back down on adding labels to the situation.
“I don’t think we need to sit here and put new labels on what we already broadcast is a challenge,” she said.
As of February 25, Psaki did not know whether the southern border was facing a “crisis”. “I don’t think I’m going to put new labels here or on the podium, but it is a priority for the government,” she said.
PSAKI SAYS THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO COME TO THE BORDER WILL BE REMOVED, WILL NOT STILL CALL A CRISIS
At that time, Axios reported that more than 700 children were placed in the custody of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and news broke that the government was opening a facility to house migrant children.
These developments raised questions about Biden’s candidacy, which presented, among other things, a promise to end former President Trump’s practice of putting “children in cages”. Although the White House has said it is not putting children in “cages”, many have condemned the practice as a continuation of what migrants saw under Trump. Biden would also have told lawmakers in 2019 that he would not detain migrant children.
Last week, The New York Times reported that Biden brought the matter to the attention of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, hoping to prevent another crisis at the border. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denied that the border is facing a crisis, instead saying “there is a challenge on the border that we are managing and we have our resources dedicated to managing it”.
CNN later reported that Health and Human Services (HHS), which takes custody of migrant children after CBP, was having trouble keeping pace with arrivals. “We are arresting more children than we can release,” said a senior DHS official. A senior CBP official similarly said “[a]All waiting places are full, there is a constant accumulation. “
TEXAS CZECH REP. GONZALES: THE BORDER CRISIS IS ‘WORSE THAN PEOPLE ACHIEVE’
CBP’s capacity allegedly faced additional tension because the agency kept children in its custody for more than three days. The situation was exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, which limited HHS’s ability to accommodate the influx of migrants.
Psaki said the administration sought to comply with the COVID-19 protocols, but it is not clear how much the authorities are tracking the virus in migrants. According to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, last week, thousands of migrants were not tested.
“More than 10,000 people passed through the lower Rio Grande valley,” said Cuellar, according to KTXS 12. “These people are not being tested.”
CBP allegedly disagreed, telling the establishment that “CBP personnel carry out initial inspections for symptoms or risk factors associated with COVID-19 and consult with medical personnel on site, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or local health systems, as appropriate. “
DHS CHIEF REQUESTS VOLUNTEERS TO HELP THE SOUTHERN BORDER IN MIGRANT SURGE ‘OVERWHELMING’
On March 5, Psaki told the press that Biden had asked senior members of his team to visit the border and inform him of the government’s response to the situation of migrants. A few days before that, CBP said 13 migrants died in a car accident in Southern California after being smuggled, along with dozens of others, across the border.
The border authorities’ meeting appeared to take place on Saturday, when Mayorkas and other officials discussed capacity requirements at the border.
“The authorities also discussed ways to ensure the fair and humane treatment of immigrants, the security of the workforce and the well-being of nearby communities in the face of a global pandemic,” said the White House.
Days later, Mayorkas sent an email asking the DHS team to help “increase migration along the southwestern border”.
He added: “You have probably seen the news about the overwhelming number of migrants seeking access to this country along the southwestern border.”
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“President Biden and I are committed to ensuring that our nation has a safe, orderly and humane immigration system, while continuing to balance all other critical DHS missions.”
Mayorkas also publicly acknowledged the stressful nature of the situation. “It is a stressful challenge, and we are – that is why, frankly, we are working as hard as we work not only to address the urgency of the challenge, but also to develop the ability to manage it and meet our humanitarian service aspirations in execution of the president’s vision, ”he said during a briefing last week.
Former Trump administration officials have warned that Biden’s policies would lead to a devastating increase at the border.
“The radical policies of open government of this government … [have] it has eroded all the successful authority tools we have, “former CBP acting commissioner Mark Morgan told Fox News last week.
“And now, they are shocked to see a crisis on our southern border that is already here. It is really remarkable what we are seeing.” Morgan, in particular, argued that government policies encourage illegal immigration.
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The White House referred Fox News to Psaki’s comments at his press conference on Tuesday.
On March 2, Psaki said, “We are not encouraging people to come, but we also believe, unlike the previous government, that we will not refuse children under the age of 18”.
Adam Shaw and Peter Hasson of Fox News contributed to this report.