From Fox News:
Vice President Kamala Harris’ staff on Sunday insisted that the “main drivers” of the migrant surge to the southern border are climate and the economy – as Harris arrived in Guatemala and after the Guatemalan president blamed the change in U.S. administrations for the crisis.
Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders told reporters that climate and the economy were among the “main drivers” of the surge in migrants that saw more than 178,000 migrants hit the border in April alone – a number that continued a spike in February and March.
Officials also emphasized the role corruption plays in forcing migrants to make the journey north.
“We see corruption as one of the most important root causes to be dealt with,” special envoy Richard Zuniga said.
Critics have blamed the Biden administration’s rollback of Trump-era border restrictions and interior enforcement policies that they say have sent the signal to migrants that the border is open. The Biden administration has denied that, saying that the border is closed. Instead, it has emphasized the “root causes” of the crisis – focusing on climate, poverty, crime and corruption in Central America.
Harris, who was put in charge of diplomatic outreach to solve the crisis in March, has also emphasized the “root causes.”
“I’m thinking of corruption, violence and poverty, the lack of economic opportunity, the lack of climate adaptation and climate resilience, the lack of good governance,” she said last month.
Read the full report here.
BIDEN on ???: ‘COVID Cases Are Down, CoVID Deaths Are Up!’
President Biden continued to baffle millions of Americans during a televised address Friday; saying new cases of COVID are down across the country but deaths are “up.”
“Before I took office, almost 24 million Americans were going hungry. Long lines of cars, people waiting for a box of food, that’s dropped by 25%,” said Biden.
“Now, 52% of American adults are fully vaccinated. 75% of seniors are fully vaccinated,” he added.
BIDEN: "COVID cases are down, COVID deaths are up." pic.twitter.com/GuWtq4phcU
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) June 4, 2021
“Look, COVID cases are down. COVID Deaths are up… Unemployment filings are down, wages are up!” concluded the President.
Watch Biden’s comments above
BIDEN on ???: ‘This Makes Jim Crow Look Like Jim Eagle!’
President Biden held his first solo press briefing from the White House Thursday after 64 days in office; answering questions pertaining to immigration, the Coronavirus pandemic, and working with Republicans.
“This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle! I mean this is gigantic!
Watch Biden’s comments above.
Original Story:
President Biden is poised to deliver his first solo press conference with members of the media today shortly after 1PM; ending a nine-week blackout that defies nearly a century of White House tradition.
“During past administrations, it took former President Trump 28 days to hold a press conference, only 21 days for former President Obama, and 34 days for former President George W. Bush,” reports Fox News.
The briefing comes just hours after Biden appointed his Vice President -Kamala Harris- to lead the administration’s response to the spiraling crisis surrounding the US-Mexico border.
“President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead efforts on stemming migration across the U.S.-Mexico border as the administration faces growing political pressure to address a surge in undocumented migrant children unaccompanied by parents,” reports NBC News.
BREAKING: President Biden says he has appointed VP Harris to lead efforts on stemming migration across the US-Mexico border; Harris will focus on coordination with Mexico and the Northern Triangle, Biden says. https://t.co/k5X9SuG7fg
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 24, 2021
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed US President Joe Biden for the massive influx of migrants from Central America moving across the United States’ southern border Wednesday; saying he signaled they would be “treated better” than the Trump administration.
“Expectations were created that with the government of President Biden there would be a better treatment of migrants. And this has caused Central American migrants, and also from our country, wanting to cross the border thinking that it is easier to do so,” Obrador told reporters.
“People don’t go to the United States for fun, they go out of necessity,” he added.
“They see [Biden] as the migrant president, and so many feel they’re going to reach the United States,” said the Mexican President. “We need to work together to regulate the flow, because this business can’t be tackled from one day to the next.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blames migrant crisis on Biden https://t.co/NixMJK9DrQ pic.twitter.com/AzhRqoVlLC
— New York Post (@nypost) March 24, 2021
Furious Republican lawmakers sent a scathing letter to the Department of Homeland Security this week after the agency reportedly released illegal migrants into the United States without court dates.
“Despite your repeated claims that ‘the border is secure,’ these reports raise serious questions about DHS’ commitment to faithfully enforcing the law,” said the statement signed by 14 legislators.
“Multiple Border Patrol agents confirmed the new process to Fox News, revealing that they have been directed to use prosecutorial discretion to forgo the hours-long process of paperwork required to issue an NTA amid the surge of migrants at the border,” reports Fox News.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.