Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, came under fire from Peter Doocy, a Fox News White House reporter, on Tuesday for her assertion that illegal immigration had decreased by 90%.
Since President Joe Biden took office, illegal immigration has decreased by 90%, according to Jean-Pierre at the briefing on Monday.
He has tools that he has employed in the meantime to ensure that we carry out this. We genuinely handle the immigration system humanely and in a manner that addresses the situation at the border. And for that reason, you've seen how well the parolee program has worked. You've seen a reduction in illegal immigration of more than 90%. And that's due to these, the president's acts," Jean-Pierre stated on Monday.
The next day, Doocy made the comments to the press secretary, citing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics that showed a spike in illegal immigration.
Doocy responded, "You mentioned yesterday that you've observed a reduction of more than 90% in illegal migration. "From whence did that number originate? Because CBP informs us that there are 136,000 more people-"
"I hear you, and I'm going to respond. If you could tone down the drama a little, I'm going to respond to your question, the press secretary said as Doocy ended his sentence.
"What's so dramatic about asking a question about-" Doocy started.
Okay, I'm going to respond, Jean-Pierre said. "I was talking to the program for parolees. As you are aware, the president established a parolee program to negotiate with certain nations on how to reduce illegal immigration. And we can see from the statistics that it has decreased by more than 90%. That was my intended audience.
Doocy tried to ask a third question regarding the parolee program, but the press secretary immediately cut him off and switched to the next reporter.
When the border is already secure, why is the administration sending 1,500 active duty U.S. troops there, the Fox News reporter questioned the press secretary. Vice President Kamala Harris and other high-ranking members of the Biden administration, such as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have frequently reassured the public that the U.S.-Mexico border is safe.
"Since we need to do additional work. Peter, we need to do more work," the press secretary informed Doocy. "We proposed a comprehensive immigration bill, but Republicans in Congress are refusing to take any action. As a result, the president has been preparing for the lifting of Title 42, which will take place in a few days, using the resources at his disposal. Therefore, the Department of State is developing procedures to handle the changes that lie ahead.
In an effort to lessen the anticipated spike in upcoming migration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mayorkas announced plans to process migrants south of the border and deployed active duty troops as Title 42, a Trump-era policy expelling migrants on the basis of COVID-19, is scheduled to be lifted May 11.
Since Biden took office in January 2021, CBP has seen a record-breaking increase in migration. Agents of the Border Patrol noted more than 3 million interactions with migrants at the border between October 2021 and March 2022.
Since President Joe Biden took office, illegal immigration has decreased by 90%, according to Jean-Pierre at the briefing on Monday.
He has tools that he has employed in the meantime to ensure that we carry out this. We genuinely handle the immigration system humanely and in a manner that addresses the situation at the border. And for that reason, you've seen how well the parolee program has worked. You've seen a reduction in illegal immigration of more than 90%. And that's due to these, the president's acts," Jean-Pierre stated on Monday.
The next day, Doocy made the comments to the press secretary, citing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics that showed a spike in illegal immigration.
Doocy responded, "You mentioned yesterday that you've observed a reduction of more than 90% in illegal migration. "From whence did that number originate? Because CBP informs us that there are 136,000 more people-"
"I hear you, and I'm going to respond. If you could tone down the drama a little, I'm going to respond to your question, the press secretary said as Doocy ended his sentence.
"What's so dramatic about asking a question about-" Doocy started.
Okay, I'm going to respond, Jean-Pierre said. "I was talking to the program for parolees. As you are aware, the president established a parolee program to negotiate with certain nations on how to reduce illegal immigration. And we can see from the statistics that it has decreased by more than 90%. That was my intended audience.
Doocy tried to ask a third question regarding the parolee program, but the press secretary immediately cut him off and switched to the next reporter.
When the border is already secure, why is the administration sending 1,500 active duty U.S. troops there, the Fox News reporter questioned the press secretary. Vice President Kamala Harris and other high-ranking members of the Biden administration, such as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have frequently reassured the public that the U.S.-Mexico border is safe.
"Since we need to do additional work. Peter, we need to do more work," the press secretary informed Doocy. "We proposed a comprehensive immigration bill, but Republicans in Congress are refusing to take any action. As a result, the president has been preparing for the lifting of Title 42, which will take place in a few days, using the resources at his disposal. Therefore, the Department of State is developing procedures to handle the changes that lie ahead.
In an effort to lessen the anticipated spike in upcoming migration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mayorkas announced plans to process migrants south of the border and deployed active duty troops as Title 42, a Trump-era policy expelling migrants on the basis of COVID-19, is scheduled to be lifted May 11.
Since Biden took office in January 2021, CBP has seen a record-breaking increase in migration. Agents of the Border Patrol noted more than 3 million interactions with migrants at the border between October 2021 and March 2022.
