Jean-Pierre Calls Border Crisis ‘Not Unusual’ As Record Numbers Of Migrants Cross Into US
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the record illegal immigration at the southern border “not unusual” during a press conference on Thursday.
Jean-Pierre said that the situation at the southern border is fluid and is a result of an immigration system that needs fixing. Border Patrol had more than 24,000 migrants in custody as early as Thursday, according to internal data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“And what we’re seeing here at the border, the migration flow, increased migration flows, certainly, it ebbs and flows. And were at a time of the year where we’re seeing more at the border, and it’s not unusual. This is an immigration system that has been broken for decades, and the president has taken this very seriously to try to do more,” Jean-Pierre said.
Additionally, federal authorities released 8,388 illegal migrants into the country on Wednesday with court dates, according to the internal Border Patrol data.
WATCH: embedded video
Negotiations in Congress on a potential deal to fund both security along the southern border and military aid for Ukraine have been paused until the new year, a move the White House is dependent on to address the issue, Jean-Pierre said.
“There’s more to be done, but we need the help of Congress to get that done,” she added.
To address the latest surge at the southern border, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) temporarily closed ports of entry and railways in San Ysidro, California, Lukeville, Arizona and El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, an agency spokesperson told the DCNF. The agency reassigned 100 Office of Field Operations employees as well as law enforcement personnel from other agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons, to help Border Patrol.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the record illegal immigration at the southern border “not unusual” during a press conference on Thursday.
Jean-Pierre said that the situation at the southern border is fluid and is a result of an immigration system that needs fixing. Border Patrol had more than 24,000 migrants in custody as early as Thursday, according to internal data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“And what we’re seeing here at the border, the migration flow, increased migration flows, certainly, it ebbs and flows. And were at a time of the year where we’re seeing more at the border, and it’s not unusual. This is an immigration system that has been broken for decades, and the president has taken this very seriously to try to do more,” Jean-Pierre said.
Additionally, federal authorities released 8,388 illegal migrants into the country on Wednesday with court dates, according to the internal Border Patrol data.
WATCH: embedded video
Negotiations in Congress on a potential deal to fund both security along the southern border and military aid for Ukraine have been paused until the new year, a move the White House is dependent on to address the issue, Jean-Pierre said.
“There’s more to be done, but we need the help of Congress to get that done,” she added.
To address the latest surge at the southern border, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) temporarily closed ports of entry and railways in San Ysidro, California, Lukeville, Arizona and El Paso and Eagle Pass, Texas, an agency spokesperson told the DCNF. The agency reassigned 100 Office of Field Operations employees as well as law enforcement personnel from other agencies, including the Bureau of Prisons, to help Border Patrol.
