WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans are putting pressure on President Joe Biden for the immigration situation at the U.S. southern border.
“The safety and security of Americans and our border is the job of the President. He’s the one who created this and he’s the one who can fix it,” McCarthy said.
The group of Republicans toured one of the facilities at the border, as the number of border apprehensions has gone up in recent months. Texas Congressman Michael Cloud says the president needs to respond.
“The policies that the Biden administration has put in place has caused this crisis at the border. It was predictable, it was easy to avoid,” Cloud said.
The GOP cites worries surrounding child and drug trafficking as well as the spread of COVID in the detention facilities.
“It’s beyond a crisis at the border. It’s a threat to our republic. And you Mr. President, have a responsibility,” said Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins.
“We recognize this is a big problem,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Psaki says the Biden administration is actively working to address the border situation.
“The last administration left us a dismantled and unworkable system and like any other problem, we are going to do anything we can to solve it,” Psaki said.
The White House says they are focused on helping the children stuck in this situation, as quickly as possible. FEMA is also providing support at the border to aid in processing and avoid overcrowding.
