Fox News’ Neil Cavuto and Democratic Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez sparred Tuesday over President Joe Biden’s trip to the southern border in which he did not see the migrants firsthand.
Biden visited the El Paso, Texas, area on Sunday during his first ever trip to the nation’s southern border. The president met with local nongovernmental organizations offering assistance to illegal migrants and federal law enforcement officials and local authorities. Biden did not, however, see the migrants, who have been living on the streets by the hundreds.
“Why was El Paso apparently cleaned up?” Cavuto asked. “There had been talk that maybe Biden folks had cleared the streets or at others’ behest had done so. They deny that. But I’m still looking at this before and after, Congressman and confused as heck. Something and someone did that cleanup there. Just days before, there were migrants all over the place. What happened?”
“People come in spurts. It’s not a consistent flow of migrants,” Gonzalez said.
Cavuto then pressed Gonzalez on why Biden did not meet with migrants. (RELATED: ‘He Did Not Come To See This’: CNN Reporter Calls Out Biden For Not Visiting Migrants At Border)
“Wouldn’t you want to see the migrants? Wouldn’t you want to see what’s behind this 2.5 million ‘spurt’ of people coming across-” Cavuto pushed back.
“He knows what the migrants look like. We talk to him regularly,” Gonzalez interjected, arguing that Biden seeing the migrants won’t help solve the border crisis.
Cavuto then argued that while Biden may not have deliberately avoided the migrants, he nonetheless did not see them.
“He sees all the people who deal with them. I guess I’m still-” Cavuto said before Gonzalez cut him off.
“Wait a minute, sir!” Cavuto shot back. “He went down there and didn’t see them. That was the whole point. It’s like going to a Giants game- if you like the Giants – and the Giants aren’t there.”
“This isn’t a Giants game, this isn’t a Giants game,” Gonzalez said.
The two then continued to spar about the issue.
John Martin, Director for the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, told the Daily Caller News Foundation he was disappointed Biden didn’t see the crisis first hand.
“I didn’t care which shelter he visited or which hospitality side but it was my hope that he would actually be able to see what we’re seeing on the ground at this point,” Martin said.
The White House later released a statement saying Biden “visited the busiest port of entry” and a “federally-funded migrant” service center to meet with local officials about the migrant crisis.