Democrats Criticize Biden Administration’s Border Crisis — But Keep Voting For Its Policies and Personnel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the crisis at our southern border:
“Our southern border is already in crisis on Democrats’ watch. And on Friday, the Biden Administration announced they are going to throw open the floodgates even wider.
“In December 2020, right before President Biden took office, he said it would be, ‘the last thing we need’ if we were to ‘end up with two million people on our border.’ But in 2021, on his watch, under his policies, America got exactly that.
“Last year saw a record-shattering two million arrests on our southern border. Two million people — more than the population of 13 whole states — from at least 160 different countries. And those are just the people who got caught.
“2022 is already on track to be even worse. As we speak, border officials are encountering roughly 7,000 persons daily. And the Department of Homeland Security predicts this pace could more than double.
“The Biden Administration’s own officials say they are contingency planning for 18,000 encounters every single day. For perspective, that pace would be equivalent to 6.6 million per year, a population larger than all but 17 of our states.
“Now, thus far, the Biden Administration has kept using a legal tool called Title 42 which they inherited from the prior administration because of the COVID pandemic.
“Title 42 provides a shortcut for swift border enforcement. It’s given the Administration a fast track to turn people around as they arrive.
“In February, more than 91,000 people were immediately turned around under Title 42. Another 73,000 were allowed to stay and navigate our system.
“Without Title 42, instead of adding 73,000 illegal immigrants to our system alone, we would have added more than 160,000. In one month.
“But on Friday, the Biden Administration announced an unbelievably bad decision.
“They are going to further cave to the far left that wants open borders. They are going to cancel Title 42 this spring with no real border security plan to replace it.
“This is such an absurd decision, such an unforced gaffe, that even some of our Senate Democratic colleagues have come out swinging.
“Our colleague from West Virginia correctly described this ‘a frightening decision’ to abandon ‘an essential tool’ when ‘we are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants.’
“Another Senate Democrat said, ‘this is the wrong decision.’
“A third said it ‘shows a lack of understanding about the crisis at our border.’ A fourth said the move ‘will likely lead to a migrant surge that the [A]dministration does not appear to be ready for.’
“The problem is that these same Senate Democrats have backed this far-left Administration over and over again on immigration.
“Every single Democratic Senator supported both Secretaries Mayorkas and Becerra.
“Every single Democratic Senator voted against preserving ‘Remain In Mexico,’ voted against defunding sanctuary cities, and voted against an amendment that would have funded the full enforcement of all immigration laws.
“And later this week, we expect every Democratic Senator will vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee who is a proven judicial activist on this very issue.
“Judge Jackson has gone beyond the judicial role to rewrite immigration policy from the bench and make it more liberal.
“In one case, she ignored the plain text of the law to reach a more liberal outcome. She even tried to force a nationwide injunction on the entire country.
“Judge Jackson went so far beyond the law to remake immigration policy that even the liberal D.C. Circuit had to overturn her mistaken ruling. An Obama appointee wrote the decision that overturned her.
“I am glad to see our Democratic colleagues belatedly waking up to the border crisis and beginning to pressure the Administration.
“Fourteen months late is better than never. But votes speak louder than press releases. The measure of a Senator’s position isn’t our rhetoric, it’s our votes.
“If our colleagues who have stood in lockstep with President Biden’s border crisis thus far are serious about turning over a new leaf, they can start with the Supreme Court vote later this week.”
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Related Issues: Supreme Court, Immigration, Senate Democrats, COVID-19
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