During Wednesday's White House briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the border crisis, defended President Biden's approach and gave a shocking reason why he hasn't taken action.
Jean-Pierre opened the briefing by saying it was up to Republicans to do something to solve the problem or continue using it as a political issue.
When asked why the president has the authority to unilaterally act on the issue but does nothing, Jean-Pierre responded.
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“Why should he do it unilaterally? Why shouldn't we do it legislatively?” Jean-Pierre replied.
Biden took 94 executive actions to undo Trump's border policies after taking the oath of office in January 2021.
President Biden teased a possible executive order to close the border. (Getty Images)
Jean-Pierre continued to defend himself, arguing that President Biden has already taken many executive actions, but to deal with what is happening at the border and a broken immigration system, a legislative approach is needed.
“You need legislation, you want it to be done in a bipartisan way. And that has been negotiated. Negotiations have taken place. There was an agreement in the Senate. Republicans and Democrats came together. You just said it's broken, it's divided. To be more clear. And they came in, they did. And that matters,” Jean-Pierre said.
She added that the Biden administration has been able to move forward on many pieces of legislation in a bipartisan manner over the past three and a half years.
“The president is clear about where he stands – he believes we are a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. We can expand legal immigration pathways and ensure that the United States remains a beacon of hope and opportunity,” Jean-Pierre wrote in a post on X.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and President Joe Biden. (Getty Images)
Jean-Pierre received significant backlash for her post, with many calling on the Biden administration to close the border.
“Biden has betrayed America. There's no arguing with that,” one user commented.
“Joe Biden doesn't need a bill to secure the border. He could use executive orders. He used them to undo Trump's orders that secured the border. The proposed border law allows 1.8 million illegal immigrants in a year. That's just as bad as it is now. Deport all illegals and close the border,” wrote another user.
“We are a nation of immigrants. We have immigration laws. Apparently this government thinks that letting anyone and everyone in is legal immigration. Please explain why these people are legal immigrants. They are ILLEGAL ALIEN!” another user posted.
Jean-Pierre again dodged the questions, saying it is up to the Senate leadership to speak about the process and how they move forward.
“What I'm saying is that it's long past time to get this done, to get this moving. We were able to create a bipartisan negotiation, a plan forward on an issue that many Americans care about, an issue that is important to our immigration system. , for what happens at the border. And that's a good thing,” says Jean-Pierre.
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Migrants cross the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border in Piedras Negras, Coahuila state, Mexico, on Friday, October 6, 2023. (Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The secretary added that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DY, wants to move this forward and is “very good at doing so.”
'He is very good at dealing with major legislation. Obviously because we have been able to implement important legislation over the past three and a half years. So I'm going to let him speak on that,” she finished.
In a letter to senators dated Sunday evening, Senator Schumer revealed his plan to reintroduce an immigration bill after it was rejected mainly by Senate Republicans in February.
“We are hopeful that this bipartisan proposal will bring serious Republicans back to the table to advance this bipartisan solution for our border,” he wrote.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled his plan to introduce a Democratic-backed border bill as Republicans unite to block the effort. (Getty Images)
However, Republicans in both chambers of Congress are preparing to work together to block any hope that a Democratic-backed border bill will cross the finish line.
While Schumer explained that he did not expect to receive full bipartisan support, the White House promptly backed Schumer's plan, with Jean-Pierre “calling on every senator to put aside partisan politics and vote to secure the border.” .
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The bill failed a test vote in February, with a vote of 49-50, short of the 60 votes needed to advance.
Julia Johnson and Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News contributed to this report.
