Webb County (TX) Democratic Judge Tano Tijerina unloaded on the Biden administration during a Fox News interview on Thursday, saying that President Biden caused the crisis on the border and that he has alienated people in the region.
“What has he done?” Tijerina asked as the southern border has been flooded with over ten thousand illegal aliens in recent days. “I invited President Biden to come down to the border, speaking to my other colleagues, the other county judges.”
Tijerina said that “the Haitians are causing great havoc” and that “they’re not incredibly the best,” adding that they are difficult to work with because “they’ve been a little bit pushy, like compared to everybody else.”
“Biden fomented this and now he’s alienated us,” Tijerina said, later slamming the administration for the costs imposed on local communities because of the Biden administration’s crisis.
“I don’t know what’s going on with America today, but I can tell you that it’s not, it’s not right,” Tijerina continued.
Tijerina said that he called “BS” on the administration’s claims that their highest priority is people’s health “because in all reality, what’s going with our southern borders is wide open” as the pandemic continues.
Tijerina slammed the media for latching onto “one picture,” a reference to a recent incident involving a U.S. Border Patrol agent, “and they go off on it.”
“But there’s a thousand pictures of everything else that’s going on, that’s basically falling through the cracks,” Tijerina continued. “And yet nothing’s been mentioned.”
“You know, our county judges, I’ve spoken to almost all of them; we’re at our wits’ end, our mayors, we’re at our wits’ end,” he said. “We don’t know what to do anymore.”
“I applaud you guys for even putting this on, because most of the country has kind of failed to see what’s going on because if it’s not in every newscast, if it’s not running the narrative, it’s not true,” he concluded. “Well, let me tell you: As a border town County Judge, as a Democratic County judge, conservative Democratic county judge, I will tell you right now that it is true; it’s happening in our border. And it’s a sad situation that President Biden needs to take ownership, doesn’t matter what he didn’t in the Senate. It doesn’t matter what he did in the past. Today, he has an opportunity to show the world what he is and who he is. And unfortunately, he hasn’t done that.”
WATCH:
Texas Democrat Judge Tano Tijerina says the U.S. southern border is “wide open” and that “Biden has fomented this, and now, he’s alienated us.” pic.twitter.com/NhTvZuGy6K
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 24, 2021
TRANSCRIPT:
JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: So let’s bring in Webb County, Texas Judge Judge Tano Tijerina. Judge, thanks for being with myself and with Shannon. We are trying to get Bill Melugin back up again. But first of all, let’s talk to you. So, thousands of illegal migrants that Del Rio camp being released into the United States. We don’t know where they’re going, some are staying in Texas, others are going to places elsewhere across the country. Your thoughts and what we’re seeing down there?
JUDGE TANO TIJERINA (D): Well, absolutely right. You know, President Biden, here’s his press secretary just talking a little bit and she’s talking about President Biden’s border plan, you know, the border plan, he’s stipulates that he wants order and justice. He wants smart solutions. He wants fair and orderly, tech and infrastructure, and keeping families together. You know, they’re talking about him being a senator and … well you tell me, as a president, what has he done? I invited President Biden to come down to the border, speaking to my other colleagues, the other county judges, absolutely. Right now I’m compounding the situation that we have right now. Absolutely. The Haitians are causing great havoc. You know, they’re not, they’re not incredibly the best. You know, it’s been a very difficult I guess, to work with, they’ve been a little bit pushy, like compared to everybody else. So we got ourselves in a situation, you know, Biden fomented this and now he’s alienated us. And now we’re in a situation. You know, you’re asking about all these immigrants that are coming in, you know, right now we’re getting bused almost four to six buses a day, our soft-sided facility here in Webb County is about to open on Friday, you know, they’re making it for about 500 people; they’re already starting to talk about a thousand people; they’re already sending out, I know, our airports today are going to start getting flights out, we’re sending out about four to six flights a day to Haiti. But the point is, is that where is he? All we’re asking for is to help. You know, it’s very disturbing, and very, I mean, our city already is spending $1.5 million, they just passed it, to go ahead and bus some of these immigrants out. Why is it our responsibility? The burden’s on us now? It makes no sense.
ROBERTS: Big cost for local officials.
SHANNON BREAM: You mentioned the cost and the burden on the local officials. But what about the overall economy? What about employees? People who do work back and forth across the border? People whose lives, they’re changed, they’re inconvenienced because of the situation that we have there.
TIJERINA: I’m glad you say that, because you know, it has been closed. It’s very unfortunate. I don’t know what’s going on with America today. But I can tell you that it’s not, it’s not right. You know, here we are, the people that are doing everything legally, that are trying, you know, they make it real nice in front of us to, you know, wear our mask and, you know, your health is our highest priority. Well, I call BS on that. Because in all reality, what’s going with our southern borders is wide open. The very unfortunate thing is, to answer your question, is that we have families that have not been able to see each other. Here we are legally, you cannot go back and forth. Legally, you cannot. And we have a lot of people that live on both sides that have families on both sides, that they basically come and go as they please. But right now with the border closed, other than to commercial, it makes no sense. We don’t understand what’s going on. And so here we are illegals, you know, immigration, you know, we were for, we’re for legal immigration, but you know, these immigrants that are coming back and forth makes no sense. So again, it’s a failure in Biden’s administration. Here we are legally we can’t, we are the number one inland port in the United States, and it’s hurting us; it’s hurting our economy. And we need to open up our borders as well, our border, our bridges.
ROBERTS: Yeah, of course, the point person for the administration on the problems at the border is the Vice President, Kamala Harris. Are you asking this administration, where’s the vice president in all of this?
TIJERINA: Well, the sad part about it is they look at a picture, it’s amazing how they look at one picture and they go off on it. But there’s a thousand pictures of everything else that’s going on, that’s basically falling through the cracks. And yet nothing’s been mentioned. You know, what, I’m also going to give a very personal invitation to both the President of the United States and the Vice President Kamala Harris because, look, two wrongs don’t make a right, you can’t stop, we cannot turn a blind eye on this any more people. And again, I’ve been saying it over and over again, this is not a border crisis, this is a national crisis. We have about 800,000 people that, they have left here in the United States that are just, that are just here now. Now the the asylum seekers got to remember, eight out of 10 asylum seekers are not going to get, are not going to get legally accepted here. So what’s happening with all these people, where are they going? It’s a burden not just on the local economies on the border. It’s a burden on the state of Texas. It’s a burden on the country itself. I mean, people we need to, you know, we’re, we’re so fixated on this mass. We’re so fixated on this pandemic, which is a problem in its own, but now you compound it with this. It just makes no sense. I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that we need help and you know, when he asked a question yesterday, I believe to the president, you know, what’s gonna happen with this? “Well, we’re gonna get on this right away.” I mean, why is he upset? We’re, we’re Americans, we just need your help. We need you to protect us, we need you to take care of us. We need you to look at us and take care of us. That’s all we need to do.
BREAM: Well, I want to ask you this judge, the press secretary has been pressed on this today on a number of fronts. But she also said when she was pressed by our Peter Doocy, yesterday about why we now have a fully vaccinated mandate for people who are traveling here, internationally, but not the same requirement for people who are showing up at the southern border. She said, “Well, that’s because those are people who don’t intend to stay here long.” And that’s not the impression that most of us have, you’re there. You meet these folks in your community. And these are human beings seeking a much better life and coming from oppression and a lot of places but when they come to the U.S., is it your impression, they do intend to stay?
TIJERINA: Absolutely, I mean, wouldn’t you? I’d be in that same boat. I’d be wanting to go ahead and do everything I can for my family. And yes, it’s very important. It’s a sad situation, what’s going on in their countries. And look, legally, I wouldn’t have a problem with this, but illegally, it’s causing a burden. And then here we are not protecting our own, it just really, it’s falling through the cracks. We need help. It’s important that, we just definitely need them to come down and take a look at themselves. Because when they start seeing these babies that are left in the brush. …You know, it’s very sad that last couple of days, we’ve been seeing children, babies left unattended, because the mother and the father, for whatever reason had to go somewhere. We’re seeing all this incredible stuff. It’s a sad situation; it’s a humanitarian crisis. So once again, it’s just a sad situation. Kamala Harris went to El Paso, please, we invite you to come down here. You know, our county judges, I’ve spoken to almost all of them, we’re at our wits’ end, our mayors, we’re at our wits’ end. We don’t know what to do anymore. Because you know what? It’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t, it’s very unfortunate, even some people, I applaud you guys for even putting this on, because most of the country has kind of failed to see what’s going on. Because if it’s not in every newscast, if it’s not running the narrative, it’s not true. Well, let me tell you as a border town County Judge, as a Democratic county judge, conservative Democratic county judge, I will tell you right now that it is true, it’s happening in our border. And it’s a sad situation that President Biden needs to take ownership, doesn’t matter what he didn’t in the Senate. It doesn’t matter what he did in the past. Today, he has an opportunity to show the world what he is and who he is. And unfortunately, he hasn’t done that.