During Wednesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned on the illegal immigration crisis and how high schools in New York are being shut down, forcing students to take remote classes, so the schools could be used to house illegal immigrants.
“A whole high school in New York is having remote classes today because the building was needed to house people who came into this country illegally. So what is the President’s priority in this case: Is it the migrants, or is it the students?” Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked.
““So let me just — just clear this up a little bit. So, yesterday in — New York City informed us that, as a precaution, they would temporarily relocate migrants staying at Floyd Bennett Field to a nearby high school,” Jean-Pierre responded. “As of this morning, all migrants have returned to the facility at Floyd Bennett Field, and so anything specific as to the program and what decided to do, and all of the specifics to that. I would certainly refer you to New York City for any additional questions.”
“But if a working parent had to call out to stay home with their kids today, isn’t this Biden immigration policy literally taking money out of people’s pockets?” Doocy asked.
“So, let me just — let me just say — I’m going to actually go back to your first question for a second, because I think I do need to address that, which is, you know, when it comes to education, migrants, the economy, the President deals with multiple issues all at once. That is his job. There are multiple things happening all at once,” Jean-Pierre responded. “And as it relates to this particular quest — question that you’re asking me about New York City, that is something that New York City needs the answers to. That is a that is a process that they took, so they have to answer to that.”
Jean-Pierre then attempted to blame Republicans for the illegal immigration crisis while also claiming that the crisis has been “going on for decades.” However, illegal immigration at the southern border more than tripled during Biden’s first year in office, setting a record high of 1,734,686 border patrol encounters of migrants attempting to illegally cross the southern border in fiscal year 2021. That record was broken again in 2022, with 2,378,944 encounters, and again in 2023, with 2,475,669 encounters. Fiscal year 2024 is already on track to break last year’s record with reportedly around 302,000 encounters last month – the highest monthly total ever.
“As it relates to migrants and what’s happening at the border, look, the President has taken this issue very seriously, very seriously by making sure that, on his first day — which is almost three years — in a couple weeks, it’ll be three years ago that he put forward a comprehensive immigration legislation to deal with what’s happening with the immigration process, obviously, and also the border,” she said. “And this is an issue that’s been going on for decades. But the system has been broken for decades, and the President is the one who has taken action to deal with this while House Republicans do not. They get in the way.”
Notably, Biden set out to dismantle border security policies as soon as he entered office, including ending border wall construction and ending the Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while they waited for their U.S. court hearings. He also has attempted to block Republican officials from securing the border, including suing border states for passing anti-illegal immigration laws as they suffer most from the crisis.
Additionally, during his 2020 Democrat presidential nominee acceptance speech, Biden encouraged illegal immigration by telling migrants that the United States would be their “safe haven.”
Doocy: “But if a working parent had to call out to stay home with their kids today, isn't this Biden immigration policy literally taking money out of people's?”
KJP: “So, let me just — let me just say — I’m going to actually go back to your first question for a second, because I… pic.twitter.com/5vlAUWY1Kn
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 10, 2024