Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Thursday that President Biden has been “so tough” in defending the border amid unprecedented waves of encounters with migrants that she has “serious concerns.”
The migrant crisis has even caused some Democratic leaders to warn that Biden's lack of action to stem the tide is harming their cities. Jayapal, however, seems to disagree.
During a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on illegal immigration, Jayapal stated, “There is so much scaremongering that it's hard to know exactly where to start.”
“The Biden administration is enforcing immigration laws,” he continued. “In fact, the administration has been so harsh in recent months that I have serious concerns about how they are conducting border control.”
Rep. Jayapal defended immigration during a recent hearing.
Jayapal then appeared to justify her claim by comparing Biden's numbers to those of Trump's presidency.
CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AND FORMER BORDER OFFICIALS DEMAND LEGISLATORS TO REJECT 'UNACCEPTABLE' BORDER COMPROMISE
“This is especially true when it comes to the administration's regulations that limit access to asylum and the use of expedited processing procedures for families. Today there are nearly 38,000 people in immigration and customs detention, which, by the way , is what the Trump administration averaged in fiscal year 2018. But if you listen to my colleagues on the other side, you would think there are no people detained,” he said.
“The Biden administration has also significantly increased expulsions in a way that I worry violates migrants' due process rights and their ability to legally seek asylum. Since the end of Title 42 last year, the Biden administration has deported or returned to Mexico more than 400,000 people, including more than 65,000 individual members of family units, including children. This total is almost equivalent to the number of people expelled in all of fiscal year 2019 under Donald Trump, so the idea that the administration is not enforcing the law is ridiculous.”
Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News Digital that migrant encounters reached a staggering 300,000 incidents in December 2023, reaching a level that was thought unimaginable just a few years ago. It is the highest total ever recorded in a single month and also the first time that encounters with immigrants exceeded 300,000.
Migrants leave Tapachula, Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. The caravan began its journey north through Mexico just days before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Mexico City to discuss new agreements to control the wave of migrants seeking to enter the country. USA. ((AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente))
REPUBLICANS SEE PROGRESS IN BORDER TALKS, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR WHETHER DEAL IS WITHIN THEIR REACH AS CRISIS ADDS
Jayapal, herself an immigrant, has a long history of advocating for mass immigration, ranging from arguing in 2022 that the migrant crisis can be solved by allowing “ways to come here legally” to suggesting that “this country would collapse without immigrants” in March past.
In December, he warned his fellow Democrats against trying to “outdo Republicans on anti-immigration policies.”
But his latest claim that Biden's management of the border has been worryingly “harsh” sparked a swift reaction on social media.
“He hasn't really let in all the human traffickers and fentanyl is a fun option,” The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller joked.
“OUT OF CONTACT WITH REALITY,” wrote Jonathan Choe, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a Washington-based journalist.
“She's not a serious person,” wrote Seattle radio host Ari Hoffman.
“Showing once again that progressives are literally crazy,” posted National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
