- Senator John Cornyn attacks the Biden government as a humane treatment of immigrants.
- Cornyn noted on Twitter that previous Democratic presidents have opposed illegal immigration.
- Cornyn and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema later asked Biden for more border sources.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
While Republican lawmakers pressure President Joe Biden on a resurgence of immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border, Senator John Cornyn of Texas Biden attacked on Twitter about his administration’s “humane treatment of immigrants.”
Cornyn posted a series of tweets Monday describes how Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton opposed illegal immigration. The Republican senator then said that Biden “rather emphasized the humane treatment of immigrants, regardless of their legal status”.
—Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) 22 March 2021
The remarks drew criticism online because some people questioned why Cornyn would suggest human treatment as a bad thing. Democratic Representative Don Beyer of Virginia calls Cornyn’s attack an ‘incredible new low’.
—Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) 22 March 2021
Cornyn’s press team did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Later Monday, Cornyn and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona sent a letter to the president asking for more executive action on border migration.
They specifically called for more resources at border facilities and a streamlined asylum process to address the growing backlog in immigration cases.
—Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) 22 March 2021
The Biden administration has been investigating its border policy as officials have reported an increase in child detention at the border.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Health and Human Services are in possession of more than 15,000 unaccompanied minors. CBP told Insider that it encountered an average of 337 unaccompanied migrant children per day.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Biden addressed the number of migrants who wanted to cross the border, saying Central American migrants should not come to the US.
“Yes, I can say very clearly: do not overcome,” Biden said, adding, “Do not leave your town or city or community.”