Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office responded to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s reaction to a video showing illegal immigrants storming across the border.
New York Post reporter Jennie Taer and photographer James Breeden caught illegal immigrants on video Thursday at the U.S.-Mexico border as they pulled a barrier open while four National Guardsmen tried to keep the situation under control. Jean-Pierre said Friday she had not spoken with President Joe Biden about whether he had seen the video. However, Jean-Pierre said it was a question more suited to Abbott. Abbott’s office hit back in a statement to the Daily Caller, calling the “mental gymnastics” of the administration “astonishing.”(RELATED: White House Responds To Dramatic Border Video: It’s Trump’s Fault)
“The mental gymnastics from the Biden Administration are astonishing,” Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Abbott, told the Daily Caller. “Yesterday’s surge in El Paso is the direct result of the unsustainable chaos President Biden has unleashed on the border. Texas will continue to utilize every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings as President Biden’s dangerous open border policies encourage migrants from over 150 countries to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry.”
Karine Jean-Pierre says the invasion of illegal aliens near El Paso yesterday is “a question for the Republican governor of Texas” 🤔 pic.twitter.com/crmm8leQJk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 22, 2024
Jean-Pierre thanked border patrol during Friday’s press briefing for their quick work to get the situation under control. She then called on Abbott to address the southern border crisis.
“What I can say is this: I really truly believe that’s a question for the Republican governor of Texas. Right? This is something he should address. That he should actually speak to. The president has worked with Congress and the Senate about getting an immigration bill done, making sure that we deal with the border challenges, that we are now seeing,” Jean-Pierre said, sparking Mahaleris’ response.
“And you have a governor of Texas who is continuing to politicize this,” Jean-Pierre continued.
The White House responded to the video ahead of the press briefing, also blaming former President Donald Trump for the incident.
“We are grateful for Border Patrol’s quick work to get the situation under control and apprehend the migrants,” a White House spokesperson told the Daily Caller.
“When the former President told Congressional Republicans to block the bipartisan border security agreement — he said to blame him for it. Well he got his wish, and the result was chaos after Governor Abbott’s Operational Lone Star [sic] and razorwire were overrun yesterday. While we cannot comment on individual cases, anyone who does not have a legal basis to remain in the United States is promptly removed,” the White House spokesperson continued.
Senate leadership unveiled a bipartisan bill in February that would give Ukraine $60 billion worth of aid and $20 billion towards the border crisis. Trump joined a number of other Republicans in expressing opposition to the legislation, prompting Biden to blame his predecessor for its failure to pass. Biden said he was told that the former president was reaching out to Republicans trying to persuade them to vote no.