“The View” set heated up Friday as the discussion turned to President Joe Biden and his administration’s return to the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy for illegal immigrants seeking asylum.
The Biden administration had announced earlier in the week that, pursuant to a court order, the Remain in Mexico Policy — which requires those seeking asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed — would be reinstated. The White House also promised to work with Mexico to ensure the safety and security of those who were waiting on the other side of the border.
But according to regular host Sunny Hostin and guest, actress America Ferrera, that is not enough – and both accused Biden of violating his campaign promises.
“One of Joe Biden’s first acts as president was ending Trump’s policy of keeping immigrants in Mexico, people seeking asylum. Biden says he’ll work with Mexico to make conditions more humane,” cohost Joy Behar began, asking Ferrera whether she thought that would be effective.
“No. You can’t make an inhumane policy humane,” Ferrera replied.
“What should he do?” Behar asked.”First of all, Joe Biden tweeted, ‘Donald Trump’s remain in Mexico policy is dangerous and inhuman and goes against everything we stand for as a nation of immigrants. My administration will end it.’ I’m disappointed in Joe Biden’s decision not only to allow it to be reimplemented but to expand on it. He’s actually including more people particularly Haitians and Jamaicans in this implementation.”
“Not only is this a broken campaign promise this is an incredible disappoint that will put tens of thousands of people in real danger and Joe Biden should be doing everything in his power –” Ferrera continued, but Behar interrupted, saying that it was her understanding that Biden was allowing the policy to continued only because a court had ordered him to do so.
“The court order is not to expand it,” Ferrera objected. “He’s not only implementing but expanding it.”
“They started doing with the Haitians that were under the bridge,” Hostin added. “Let’s face it, when you come here and you land on this – in this country, you have an automatic right to legal asylum, the very promise of this country, Joe Biden’s ancestors came to this country as Irish immigrants, he knows better, he needs to do better and he did break all of his campaign promises. It’s your right, the minute you step into this country to seek asylum and that’s what people are doing and now Joe Biden is basically breaking the law, his administration is breaking the law.”
Co-host Ana Navarro pushed back, saying that she wasn’t so sure the issue was black and white, adding, “This is something that strikes us very personally. You’re from Honduras, you were born in Honduras. Your husband is from Haiti. I was born in Nicaragua. There’s over 50 million people between Haiti and Central America. And we have to somehow figure out how to give those people opportunities and how to help them in those countries. We have to figure out how to process asylums in those countries in a good, reasonable way, so people don’t make the treacherous trek, get preyed on by coyotes, get raped, little girls getting raped –”
“America, you said it was Joe Biden’s decision,” Navarro turned back to Ferrera. “Immigration is such a complex issue.”
“What do you do when they get here? Send them back?” Hostin asked.
“Do you remember how mad we were when federal court told Donald Trump to reunite minors with their parents he flipped the finger at the federal court, well, Joe Biden is abiding by the court order,” Navarro said.
“There was no court order when he shipped Haitians out of this country,” Hostin objected.
“It’s title 42,” Navarro pushed back, referencing the public health code that allowed for deportations during the pandemic, prompting the others to talk over her.
“One at a time, girls,” Behar cautioned.
They continued to argue, with Navarro saying that Congress needed to step up and pass comprehensive immigration reform and Ferrera continuing to criticize Biden for failing to follow through on his campaign promises.
Hostin then injected race into the conversation, adding, “It’s very interesting that Melania is such a genius that she was able to get into this country from Slovenia and brought her family back. So if you look like you’re from Slovenia it’s perfectly okay for you to get here, and chain migration is perfectly okay. It’s not okay if you’re a Haitian immigrant or from Central America or if you’re from another country and you end up under a bridge, you got to go back.”
“It’s kind of ironic, that — thank you — people are now seeking to come to a democracy, and we are eroding democracy,” Behar added.