Biden called out on border crisis by Texas Democrat: 'Absolutely the president should be here'
MSNBC host José Díaz-Balart told Rep. Veronica Escobar he doesn't 'see urgency by the federal government'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MSNBC anchor José Díaz-Balart and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, demanded the White House do more to solve the border crisis in a recent interview.
"I think absolutely the president should be here," Escobar told Díaz-Balart while speaking to him live from the border at El Paso, Texas on Wednesday.
The Democratic lawmaker also insisted she wants "Congress to act" to pass legislation for immigration reform and urged the State Department to put more effort into the crisis.
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MSNBC anchor José Díaz-Balart speaks to Rep. Escobar, D-Texas, about the border crisis. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Escobar’s comments came as a national debate rages over whether to continue the Trump-era Title 42 policy, a public health order allowing border officials to deny asylum requests to the vast majority of those crossing the border, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Supreme Court recently extended Title 42 despite the Biden administration’s effort to end the policy. Biden’s critics, like Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., have claimed that ending the policy would turn the "crisis into a catastrophe."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Díaz-Balart prefaced Escobar’s comments on MSNBC with his own dire perspective on the current immigration crisis. He told the lawmaker he doesn’t feel as though the U.S. government is taking the issue seriously enough.
He stated, "Washington needs to deal with immigration, and they haven’t since 1986, that was the last comprehensive immigration reform program that existed in this country … I just don’t see, and maybe I’m wrong, I don’t see the urgency."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A record number of illegal immigrants continue to cross the border. (John Moore/Getty Images)
He mentioned he sees the urgency of local organizations and humanitarian groups, but again, not the federal government: "I see the urgency of the NGOs, I see the Red Cross, the plane that brought me here was filled with Red Cross volunteers, I see local officials here, I see state, border patrol National Guard — I just don’t see urgency by the federal government. Am I wrong?"
He continued, "Where’s FEMA? Where are the organizations? Where are people just knowing that these are men, women, and children who are asking for asylum, the legal right to ask for asylum?"
Escobar acknowledged the anchor’s concern and responded by calling on President Biden to show up at the border.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She stated, "So I share your feeling of frustration and the need for more urgency and I want to see that, starting with the White House. I would like to see more direct engagement."
She did praise Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ efforts, stating, "Secretary Mayorkas has been amazing." She also thanked FEMA for their work at the border.
Border Patrol agent at station in McAllen, Texas (Veronica G. Cardenas//File Photo)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Díaz-Balart then asked, "Should the president be here, you think?" to which Escobar said, "I think absolutely the president should be here, and I think everyone should be here, but more importantly than the president actually being here, I want Congress to act."
She continued, "I would like the State Department to be even more robustly engaged on this western hemispheric issue because this is going to take a lot of work. It’s going to take legislation."