White House claims Harris’ push for thousands of border patrol agents not new, blames Republicans

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White House pressed on Vice President Harris’ ad calling to hire more Border Patrol agents

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says Vice President Harris and President Biden both want more agents at the border but Republicans and former President Trump are getting in the way.

The White House claims President Biden has wanted to put more Border Patrol agents along the southern U.S. border, but blames Republicans for not allowing it to happen.

During a press briefing on Monday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre how long they had known that Vice President Kamala Harris did not think Biden was doing a good job along the border.

Jean-Pierre appeared stunned by the question, asking the Fox reporter to repeat the question one more time.

"Well, she’s promising to hire thousands more border agents than there are now under President Biden," Doocy said. "How long have you guys known that Vice President Harris does not think that President Biden is effective with his border?"

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended President Biden's record on the border before blaming Republicans and former President Trump for not allowing the president to hire more Border Patrol agents.

Jean-Pierre told Doocy he was making a "huge jump," saying he was "assuming" Harris did not think Biden was effective with his border policies.

"She has a campaign ad where she is saying they need more Border Patrol agents," Doocy said. "If President Biden's doing such a good job, why do they need any more border agents?"

In one of Harris’ most recent presidential campaign ads, a narrator says, "As vice president, she backed the toughest border control bill in decades, and as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking."

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A group of over 100 migrants attempting to enter the US illegally rushes a border wall Thursday, March 21, 2024. In the process the migrants knock down Texas National Guardsmen before they are halted  by the border wall. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)

Jean-Pierre defended Harris’ agenda, saying the president and vice president both believe more agents are needed:

"The president does want more Border Patrol agents. You know who’s getting in the way? Republicans in Congress. They’re getting in the way. You know who else is getting in the way? The former president, Donald Trump. He’s getting in the way."

Jean-Pierre continued to defend the president’s record, saying he has worked toward getting more security along the border and had a bipartisan agreement on the table that Biden worked on for "a couple of months" with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.

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A group of over 100 migrants charges the border. (James Breeden/New York Post/Mega)

"They were told not to move forward, because it would help Joe Biden, by the former president," Jean-Pierre claimed. "That’s their decision."

Biden has used his first term in office to end many of the border and immigration policies of Trump's administration.

During the CNN Presidential Debate in June, Trump hailed the success of the "Remain in Mexico" policy — a controversial border program he has touted repeatedly and which many conservatives have called for in a potential second Trump term.

Trump repeatedly hammered President Biden on the ongoing crisis at the southern border during the debate and attempted to contrast his record with Biden's. A core part of his efforts to bring immigration numbers down was the introduction of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), commonly called "Remain in Mexico."

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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with US Customs and Border Protection officers as he visits the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023.  (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration shut down the program in 2021, arguing the policy was ineffective and left migrants in squalor and in danger in Mexico, leading to massive migrant camps set up along the border as people waited for their appointments — an argument also made by immigration advocates.

Since then, the Biden administration has introduced a number of its own measures to regulate immigration and relieve pressure at the border amid a massive migrant surge that spiked in 2021.  At the heart of its policy is an expansion of the CBP One app, allowing migrants to enter legally and schedule an appointment to be paroled into the U.S. Currently, that allows about 1,500 migrants each day.

Harris would in many ways be a voice of continuity for the current practices of the Biden-Harris administration. Like Biden, she has supported the rolling back of Trump-era border policies and has called for a sweeping immigration bill that the administration introduced on day one. That bill not only includes significant reforms and funding measures, but would also provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

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Similarly, Harris has backed the bipartisan Senate package which Biden has also supported but has failed to pass the Senate. Like Biden, she has also blamed Trump for the failure of that bill to pass the chamber.

Fox News’ Michael Lee and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.