- Senator John Cornyn attacked the Biden government for emphasizing the “humane treatment” of immigrants.
- Cornyn noted on Twitter that previous Democratic presidents were opposed to illegal immigration.
- Cornyn and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema later asked Biden for more border resources.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
As Republican lawmakers press President Joe Biden over a wave of immigrants on the US-Mexico border, Senator John Cornyn of Texas attacked Biden on Twitter on the “humane treatment of immigrants” under his administration.
Cornyn posted a series of tweets on Monday, describing how Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton opposed illegal immigration. The Republican senator then said that Biden “instead emphasized the humane treatment of immigrants, regardless of their legal status”.
—Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 22, 2021
The comments sparked online criticism, as some people questioned why Cornyn would portray human treatment as a bad thing. Virginia Democratic Congressman Don Beyer called Cornyn’s attack an “incredible new minimum.”
– Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 22, 2021
Cornyn’s press team did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Later on Monday, Cornyn and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona sent a letter to the president calling for more executive action on border migration.
They specifically asked for more resources at border facilities and a simplified asylum process to deal with the backlog of immigration cases.
—Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) March 22, 2021
The Biden administration has faced scrutiny of its border policy, as officials have reported an increase in detentions of children at the border.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Health and Human Services had more than 15,000 unaccompanied minors. The CBP told Insider that it found 337 unaccompanied migrant children on average per day.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Biden talked about the number of migrants seeking to cross the border, telling Central American migrants not to come to the United States.
“Yes, I can say it clearly: don’t come,” said Biden, adding, “Don’t leave your city or community.”