Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) slammed President Joe Biden during a Fox News interview on Monday night, saying that the crisis on the border has been of Biden’s making, and that he does not know how else to read the president’s intentions other than that Biden acting for the future political gain of the Democratic Party.
Crenshaw, who recently visited the border during a congressional trip, said that what was going on was “absolutely a crisis.” The congressman said:
So few takeaways from my visit, one absolutely a crisis. I was at the Border Station in Rio Grande City, it’s 6,000 illegal crossings just last month, that’s the most they’ve had in history. But guess what, that’s going to actually double this month. There’s thousands a day and it’s completely unsustainable. Turns out this is really hard. See, the Biden administration is dealing with that now. It’s really hard to process thousands and thousands of people. It’s also very preventable. Look, as he said, on day one, Biden reversed the remain-in-Mexico policy. This was the major deterrent to people coming across. Look, only about 10% of people asking for asylum have a valid asylum claim. So when you disincentivize that, say, ‘Hey, okay, fine. Wait and adjudicate your claim in Mexico.’ Well, people don’t tend to come across. But when you tell them ‘Look, we’re not going to deport you, might even give you asylum, and we’re definitely gonna release you, give you a COVID test and a bus ticket anywhere you want,’ you’re gonna get a huge influx of people. And now Texas is having to foot the bill, spend hundreds of millions of dollars on border security, because Border Patrol now has to be, you know, taken up doing processing and humanitarian issues. And I actually just introduced a bill tonight to pay Texas back for our border operations over the last 10 years.
Later in the interview, host Sean Hannity said, “Well, okay, now, a lot of this too, congressman, is based on one thing, and that’s the promise of amnesty and a path to amnesty.”
“Oh, so you’re able to vote in three years? How convenient for Democrats? Is that partly what this is about?” Hannity asked.
“Yeah, look, I don’t know how else to read their intentions at this point,” Crenshaw responded. “I think Democrats used to be with us on basic border security and basic rule of law. But now Biden basically refuses to do his duty under the Constitution. The Constitution says the president is there to enforce laws passed by Congress. Well, then you have to enforce section 1325 which says it’s illegal to cross the border.”
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: From the crisis which is real on our southern border as we are learning tonight at the Biden administration is continuing to separate some child migrants from close members of the family in what is now a growing wave of unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border. Resources are strained, migrant surges are here, they are real, it’s a real crisis, and what’s the Biden White House’s response? More deflection, more distraction and more dangerous border open, border policies. In other words amnesty’s next. Let me be clear, what the Biden administration is doing at the border is largely all self inflicted. Biden rolled back Donald Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy, that reduced asylum fraud, and kept our border safe and secure. Biden touted a deportation moratorium. Biden’s rhetoric continues to incentivize migrants to make a treacherous journey to the border where many fall victim to these ruthless human traffickers and coyotes and drug smugglers. And yes, even COVID. And joining us now with reaction former Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan, and along with Congressman Dan Crenshaw, who recently he was at the U.S.-Mexico border where he saw firsthand the crisis that is unfolding. Alright, Biden’s denying it’s a crisis, congressman. I see a crisis, we’ve been reporting on a real crisis. And I didn’t mention, you know, all the the end of ‘catch and release’ the promise of amnesty, nor did I mentioned, the 185 examples in the Brownsville Sector alone of COVID positive tests and that does not include people today.
REP. DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): Right. So few takeaways from my visit, one absolutely a crisis. I was at the border station in Rio Grande City, it’s 6,000 illegal crossings just last month, that’s most they’ve had in history, because guess what, that’s going to actually double this month. There’s thousands a day and it’s completely unsustainable. Turns out this is really hard. See, the Biden administration is dealing with that now. It’s really hard to process thousands and thousands of people. It’s also very preventable. Look, as he said, on day one, Biden, reversed the remain-in-Mexico policy, this was the major deterrent to people coming across. Look, only about 10% of people asking for asylum have a valid asylum claim. So when you disincentivize that, say, ‘hey, okay, fine. Wait and adjudicate your claim in Mexico.’ Well, people don’t tend to come across. But when you tell them, ‘Look, we’re not going to deport you, might even give you asylum, and we’re definitely gonna release you, give you a COVID test and a bus ticket anywhere you want,’ you’re gonna get a huge influx of people. And now Texas is having to foot the bill spent hundreds of millions of dollars on border security, because Border Patrol now has to be, you know, taken up doing processing and humanitarian issues. And I actually just introduced a bill tonight to pay Texas back for our border operations over the last 10 years.
HANNITY: And Mark, they stopped building the border wall almost immediately. Greyhound bus operators, they’re now demanding COVID tests from people that get on a bus because they hadn’t been testing everybody, nor do I see in detention centers, any social distancing, or much mask wearing. And they’re not even testing everybody. And yet we are getting lectured by Biden to wear a mask even after we’re vaccinated.
MARK MORGAN, FORMER ACTING CBP CHIEF: The level of hypocrisy just keeps getting stronger and stronger every day and Representative Crenshaw look, everything he’s just said is spot on. And we saw this coming, Sean. The President said he was he was absolutely correct, is that they caused this, this is a self inflicted wound. And let me talk about the lie that they’re telling the American people that this isn’t a crisis. You’re going to see in February, 100,000. 100,000 in February. You’re going to see they’re averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 a day in digits that they are apprehending. There is no doubt this is a crisis. And already in the first and the first five months shot they’ve ever apprehended 400,000, 400,000, tried to illegally enter the country. All of 2020 [there were] 458,000. We still have seven months to go. And we’ve already almost exceeded what we had an FYI 20.
HANNITY: Well, okay, now, a lot of this too, congressman, is based on one thing, and that’s the promise of amnesty and a path to amnesty. Oh, so you’re able to vote in three years? How convenient for Democrats? Is that partly what this is about?
CRENSHAW: Yeah, look, I don’t know how else to read their intentions at this point. I think Democrats used to be with us on basic border security and basic rule of law. But now Biden basically refuses to do his duty under the Constitution. The Constitution says the president is there to enforce laws passed by Congress. Well, then you have to enforce section 1325 which says it’s illegal to cross the border. Look, I was down in in Roma, Texas, and I could see behind me the Rio Grande River and they said every night you’re gonna see dozens of rafts come across, all people have to do as long as they brought a kid with them, is walk across, turn themselves into Border Patrol. They know they’re getting a free bus ticket anywhere they want the U.S. This is completely unsustainable.
This article has been revised for clarity.