First, the Biden administration insisted the surge of migrants on the country’s southern border was the result of typical seasonal migration patterns. Now, it says the ongoing border crisis is due to the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on Central American countries.
Either way, now more than seven months into the term, the administration still refuses to take responsibility for the crisis.
In response to a news report published Thursday by Politico, which called the administration’s handling of the immigration crisis a “bust,” the White House kept on peddling excuses and trying to avoid the issue altogether.
What did they say?
According to the news outlet, ahead of publication, “the White House declined to provide comment on the increases in migrants or to allow an interview with a policy expert to talk about the border.”
Then after the story was published, the White House made sure to send over a statement blaming the coronavirus for the influx of migrants.
“The countries in the region are still grappling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, now exacerbated by the spreading Delta variant. Thus many are still seeking out relief via irregularly migrating to the United States,” the official reportedly said.
Politico noted that “the official also said this year’s numbers should not be compared to previous years’ numbers because so many more people trying to cross the border during the pandemic try to cross multiple times.”
Similarly, White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday blamed a range of external factors for the ongoing surge of migrants, including “economic challenges, weather challenges, [and] crime.”
Why does it matter?
The White House’s response certainly does not bode well for America’s chances at securing the border and stemming the immediate influx of migrants. The administration’s focus appears to remain solely on a “long-term solution” for the supposedly “long-term challenge,” according to Psaki.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tasked with managing the crisis earlier this year, recently unveiled a five-pillar strategy for handling the influx which said virtually nothing about increasing border enforcement. Instead, she suggested the U.S. give money to Central American countries in hopes of making them more desirable places to stay.
All the while, migrants are surging the U.S.-Mexico border at unprecedented rates. Last month, the number of unaccompanied minors stopped by Border Patrol agents hit an all-time high. The number of people who came in families reached its second-highest total on record. In all, U.S. immigration authorities reportedly encountered migrants approximately 210,000 times. June and July typically see a decrease in encounters.
Anything else?
White House officials aren’t the only ones who have their blinders on regarding the reason for the surge, though. Immigration activists do, too.
“This has taken many people off guard,” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel at the American Immigration Council, said, according to Politico. “We really genuinely can’t pinpoint a specific precipitating event that has caused this new influx in July.”
To most Americans, the “specific precipitating event” driving the influx is quite clear: President Joe Biden’s election.
When asked in July by the Daily Caller why so many migrants are now coming to America, a smuggler openly admitted they’re coming because it is easier to cross the river under Biden.
