White House says immigration control is a problem but Republicans are to blame
Haisten Willis
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The White House admitted that illegal immigration is a problem but added that the GOP is the cause.
Immigration has become a significant problem in places such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City thanks in part to voluntary busing programs organized by red state governors.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) have been sparring over how to handle the influx, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said it’s arguably the Biden administration’s “weakest issue.”
“‘This is one area where our policy is dictated by politics, arguably moreso than any other,'” a reporter said during Thursday’s White House press briefing, quoting AOC. “What is your response?”
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she agrees, and that the GOP is doing the dictating.
“The first day of this administration, [President Joe Biden] put forth a comprehensive immigration piece of legislation,” she said. “While he’s taking steps on his own, Republicans have made this an incredibly political issue. They have turned this into political stunts.”
Chief among those stunts is a series of busing programs initiated by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, whereby immigrants can take taxpayer-funded trips from the southern border to major cities. Those programs have put enormous strains on several blue destinations, most notably New York.
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Republicans mostly argue that Biden should enforce existing laws to secure the border, but the White House disagrees.
“The president has said, ‘Hey, let’s do this in a bipartisan way,'” Jean-Pierre said. “‘Here’s the funding that we would need to actually try to fix what’s going on, and to work on what’s going on at the border,’ and they refuse. They, meaning Republicans in Congress, want to make it a political issue.”