Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., criticized President Joe Biden's immigration policies, telling Newsmax that the administration's early and ample actions have led to the current crisis at the southern border.
"What we know is that on day one, Joe Biden started pushing to open the border, and in the first 100 days, he took 94 executive actions that opened the border, made it less secure, and loosened immigration law," Blackburn said.
Responding to a question about Biden's previous remarks on the border on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Blackburn emphasized, "This is a crisis of his making." She pointed out the contradiction in the administration's claims that the border is "closed and secure" while acknowledging the influx of over 300,000 illegal immigrants in a single month.
"They've been saying for months the border is closed. The border is secure, and everybody can see that it's not," Blackburn said. She criticized the administration's proposed recent $113 billion bill, primarily directed toward foreign aid, as a misguided response to the Biden-manufactured border crisis.
"The American people are not buying it," she asserted.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, the Biden administration has undertaken 535 immigration actions in its first three years, surpassing the 472 actions taken during President Donald Trump's entire term.
These actions have resulted in various changes to immigration policy, including a massive increase in illegal immigration, reported the New York Times.
The Biden administration faces criticism for its handling of the border crisis, with House Republicans calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for dereliction of his duty to the American people to control the border.
Since Biden took office in January 2021, the U.S. southern border has seen more than 6.3 million migrant encounters, according to data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
The accelerated pace of executive actions on immigration has replaced congressional action, which has not passed a major immigration overhaul in nearly three decades.
However, in May 2023, the GOP-led House of Representatives passed the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R.2). The bill would have, among other things, made major changes to federal immigration laws with respect to border security, asylum, and detention.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to the attempted GOP immigration overhaul on Monday by saying: "Many on the hard-right wanted to hijack this process by demanding we take up HR 2, but I made clear the only bill I would bring to the floor was one that could win bipartisan support. Not a single Democrat in the House or Senate voted for HR 2."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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