The White House got defensive on Thursday when confronted with criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) over the Biden administration’s handling of immigration.
What did AOC say?
In an interview with the New York Times, Ocasio-Cortez called immigration President Joe Biden’s “weakest issue.”
“Immigration is arguably this administration’s weakest issue,” she said. “This is one area where our policy is dictated by politics, arguably more so than almost any other.”
Ocasio-Cortez correctly pointed out that immigration problems do not begin at the southern border, which means foreign policy — a responsibility of the president — is a necessary component of any immigration solution.
“We also need to examine the root causes of this migration and address that this problem doesn’t start at our border, but it starts with our foreign policy,” she said.
How did the WH respond?
When confronted with Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre agreed that immigration is a politicized issue. But, of course, only Republicans are guilty of playing politics, she claimed.
Then Jean-Pierre offered a truly laughable claim about Biden’s record when pressed on Ocasio-Cortez’s critique that Biden is ignoring the “very clear recommendations and suggestions” that congressional Democrats have offered the administration.
“The president has done more to secure the border and to deal with this issue of immigration than anybody else. He really has,” Jean-Pierre claimed.
The press secretary cited falling “unlawful border crossing” numbers, an increase in working immigration authorities, and increasing funding for border security. She claimed that Biden accomplished these feats single-handedly — that he was the sole impetus for them — without help from Republicans.
But what Jean-Pierre conveniently ignored is that while border crossings are down from the height of the border crisis, there is a new crisis in cities facing migrant overcrowding. Massachusetts, for example, activated its National Guard to help with the migrant problems there. New Jersey, New York City, and Chicago are also facing significant issues caused by an influx of migrants.
Jean-Pierre was also silent about the suspected ISIS smuggler who may have helped more than a dozen migrants enter the U.S. earlier this year.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!