Fox News host Jesse Watters revealed Wednesday that the El Paso mayor’s denial he had been asked by the Biden administration not to declare an emergency was false.
“Absolutely not,” Democratic Mayor Oscar Leeser told Fox News host Dana Perino Wednesday morning. “You know, one of the things I’m very thankful for the White House, the federal government, they have done a really, really good job working with us and helping us.” (RELATED: ‘A Ridiculous Scenario’: Biden’s Health Department Behind Secret Illegal Migrant Flights, County Executive Claims)
Watters played a clip of Leeser claiming the White House requested that he not declare an emergency last month about the situation on the border.
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“I had a conversation this morning – this morning – or yesterday with the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Chief Ortiz, and he does not support declaring a state of emergency at this point,” Leeser said. “Our congresswoman has urged for us not to do that and our county judge does not support that at this point. We may have to do that. I mean, there’s going to be a point where we may have to do that but at this point, and the White House has asked at this point for us not to do that.”
Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered over 2 million illegal migrants in Fiscal Year 2022, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.
Watters also noted that Democratic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, who attacked Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas for busing migrants, was silent about El Paso, which had bused more migrants.
“The New York Times is reporting that they ultimately want to go to Florida. Yeah. So does everybody. Eric Adams went from complaining that the migrants were coming to rolling out the red carpet,” Watters said. “He hasn’t been afraid to speak out against Govs. DeSantis and Abbott but, surprisingly, has no comment about the Democrat mayor of El Paso who has been sending more migrants than the two Republicans governors combined.”
Leeser did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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