On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki lamented Republican criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis that has erupted over the last several months, saying that the administration was “a little tired of the speeches.”
Psaki made the remarks while answering a question from Daily Caller White House correspondent Shelby Talcott. Talcott asked Psaki if the administration could point to “tangible examples” of success that Vice President Kamala Harris’ alleged work in addressing the border crisis has had.
Psaki responded by claiming that it was going to be “a long-term effort” addressing the root causes of migration, like corruption and economic difficulties, before blaming “our broken immigration system.”
“There are a lot of Republicans out there giving speeches about how outraged they are about the situation at the border; not many who are putting forward solutions or steps that we could take,” Psaki claimed. “So, we’re a little tired of the speeches. We’d like to partner on solutions and working together to address this problem that has not been partisan in the past.”
WATCH:
.@DailyCaller's @ShelbyTalcott: "We know that the Vice President has been tasked with addressing the root causes of migration…I'm wondering if the administration can just detail some tangible examples of the actions in addressing root causes….that have had an actual impact" pic.twitter.com/DjQtVZDmcF
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 24, 2021
TRANSCRIPT:
SHELBY TALCOTT, THE DAILY CALLER: Thanks. So, we know that the vice president has been tasked with addressing the root causes of migration. A Democratic congressman from Texas told CNN yesterday that the vice president’s trip to Mexico and Central America had no impact. So, first, I’m wondering if the administration can just detail some tangible examples of the actions in addressing the root causes of migration that have had a tangible, you know — an actual impact.
And then, secondly, what specific causes — root causes is the vice president currently addressing to help curb Haitian migration from places like Chile and Brazil?
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I think, as the vice president and the president have both conveyed, this is going to be a long-term effort. And what the focus is on is addressing root causes like corruption, like economic circumstances that are impacting people and prompting them to want to come to the United States.
So that requires working with governments both to put in place new migration proceedings and processes, or limitations, sometimes at borders. We’ve seen some impacts of those over the course of the last several months.
It also includes providing assistance and engaging closely with these leaders on what steps can be taken. And the vice president has been deeply engaged in this.
But, again, as it relates to Haiti, as it relates to our broken immigration system, the clear step that needs to be taken is an immigration bill needs to pass Congress. It’s a broken system — one that is ineffective; one that is not moral, in many cases, at this point in time. It’s long overdue.
There are a lot of Republicans out there giving speeches about how outraged they are about the situation at the border; not many who are putting forward solutions or steps that we could take. So, we’re a little tired of the speeches. We’d like to partner on solutions and working together to address this problem that has not been partisan in the past.