On Tuesday, the union representing Border Patrol agents criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her ability to handle the border crisis, saying it has only worsened under her watch.
Shortly after their inauguration in 2021, President Joe Biden put Harris in charge of resolving the border crisis. As a result, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people trying to enter the country illegally across borders.
Over the past nine months, the number of migrants encountered has consistently exceeded 200k. In comparison, in all of the fiscal year 2020, there were only 458,000 encounters with migrants. More than 1.7 million interactions occurred in FY 2021, and FY 2022 shattered that record with 2.3 million.
The criticism follows Biden’s first trip to the border as president, where he spent time in El Paso last week. The trip came after several new border measures were implemented to deter illegal crossings and increase legal refugee status pathways for migrants.
The White House has denied reports that migrant settlements were cleared away and local officials were instructed to increase detentions before the president’s first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Border Patrol union’s attacks on the Biden administration have been relentless. A picture of the Democrat president was tweeted on Tuesday with the caption, “The problem with our border, captured in one photo.”
On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott took another shot at the Biden administration, this time for what he claims is a weak federal response to the situation at the southern border, which he says has allowed a record number of illegal immigrants to enter the United States.
On the occasion of his third term inauguration in Austin, Abbott spoke out against President Joe Biden, blaming him for the adverse effects of illegal immigration on border communities.
Because of a surge in traffic across the southern border, Texas has increased patrols there. El Paso, Texas, proclaimed a state of emergency due to a tidal wave of migrants in December. There has been a similar influx of migrants into other communities; some have criminal records and have been deported.
U.S. Border Patrol agents recently apprehended two convicted sex offenders in Del Rio shortly after crossing into the country.
Abbott has been busing illegal immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities, where officials have critiqued rigid border policies in an effort to draw attention to the issue.
While touring the border in El Paso over the weekend, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there is “no more room in New York” for genuine refugees being sent to the Big Apple.
Texas has increased border security and bused migrants to so-called sanctuary cities across other states to draw national attention to the issue of the influx of migrants.
In addition, the National Border Patrol Council criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not taking sufficient action to address illegal immigration.