White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she had no response from President Biden on Wednesday to a heartbreaking video of a crying boy apparently left on the U.S.-Mexico border – or whether Biden or vice- President Kamala Harris will not visit the intersection.
During her daily press conference, Psaki was asked if Biden had seen and reacted to the clip of the boy, who is apparently about ten, while crying to a U.S. Border Patrol agent that he was ‘scared’ after he by a group of fellow migrants and depart to spend the night in the desert.
“I have no direct response from the president,” Psaki said. ‘What I can convey is heartbreaking to each of us who have seen the video.
“It’s a reminder of how treacherous the journey is,” she continued. “And it’s a reminder of how important and essential it is that we implement reforms in our immigration system, that we clearly convey how dangerous this journey is, and that we take steps, such as the Central American Minority Program” to better care ” for young migrants.
Children who are often unaccompanied are among the tens of thousands of migrants who have flocked to the border since Biden’s inauguration and have begun to facilitate the more restrictive immigration policies of his predecessor, President Donald Trump.
The youth eventually confined themselves for days to cramped, prison-like border guard facilities while waiting for transportation to federal shelters elsewhere.
In the midst of the crisis, both Biden and Harris promised to visit the border, but neither followed.
“I have no outings or a preview,” Psaki said on Wednesday when asked why the visits were not scheduled. “What we focus on are solutions, and to ensure that we have more beds, make our processing more efficient and effective, and that we handle it in a humane way that keeps these children as safe as possible.”
Last month, Biden instructed Harris to publicly address the chaos, only for the White House to later explain that Harris would actually work to repair a “cause” of long-term immigration, not the ongoing cross-crisis. .
But a review of Harris’ work over the past few weeks shows little to actually address the situation.
However, Psaki on Wednesday insisted that the vice president intends to address the issue.
“It’s absolutely an issue she’s committed to, and is the lead,” Psaki said. ‘To be responsible and to head the Northern Triangle, work with these countries in the region, deal with the causes, work with them on how we address issues such as long-term food insecurity, drought, the COVID-19- pandemic, can handle hurricanes. , and so on. This is what she focused on. ”
At another point in the briefing, Psaki did not rule out the possibility that additional construction could take place on the boundary wall, even though Biden has long criticized the Trump pet project and promised to stop it in its tracks if elected.
Earlier it was reported that Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas had expressed private interest in plugging “gaps” in the wall.
Psaki on Wednesday left out the possibility that construction was not done for good, but argued that the administration’s hands were legally tied because there was already funding for the project before Biden took office.
“While construction is still underway, a review is underway examining the funds allocated,” she said. ‘There are some components of the wall that have already allocated the funding to continue building through Congress.
“So we work within the allowable,” she said. “We do not believe the wall is an answer. We have never believed that the wall is an answer to address the immigration challenges at the border. ‘