White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Has Some Not-So-Subtle Shade For Border Crisis Critics

In news that can only be described as “mm-mm, get somebody else to do it,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is on the defensive when it comes to President Joe Biden and his actions — or lack thereof — towards the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.

While fielding questions from journalists on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre was asked why the president has yet to take unilateral action to resolve the immigration issue at the border. Clearly exasperated, Jean-Pierre insisted that the solution shouldn’t just be set solely on the shoulders of the Commander-In-Chief.

“Why should he have to do unilaterally? Why should we have to do it in a legislative way?” she responded, before further adding: “You’re right, he took many executive actions before. But in order to deal with what’s happening at the border, in order to deal with a broken integration system—you need law.”

However, in a statement released from the White House on Thursday, it seems as if Biden’s attempt to solidify some sort of resolution was blocked by congressional Republicans.

“Congressional Republicans do not care about securing the border or fixing America’s broken immigration system. If they did, they would have voted for the toughest border enforcement in history. Instead, today, they put partisan politics ahead of our country’s national security,” the statement began.

It continued:

By blocking the bipartisan border agreement, Republicans in Congress said no to legislation that would hire more Border Patrol Agents, add more immigration judges and asylum officers to process cases in months and not years. They said no to new technology to detect and stop fentanyl from entering the United States, and no to resources to go after drug traffickers. They rejected an agreement that would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to temporarily shut down the border when the system is overwhelmed.

This agreement would have also expanded access to lawful immigration pathways proven to reduce irregular migration, expedited access to work authorization for those who are eligible, and ensured that unaccompanied children who arrive at the border have access to legal counsel. While it did not include everything I wanted, such as finally delivering a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, it would have been the largest reform of our immigration laws in decades.

 “So I want to be absolutely clear: while Congressional Republicans are choosing to stand in the way of border enforcement, I will not stop fighting to deliver the resources that border and immigration personnel need,” Biden concluded.

“If you believe, as I do, that we need reform now, doing nothing is not an option. We must make our border more secure and we must make sure the United States remains a beacon of hope and opportunity. Today and every day, I remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.”