Former DHS secretary says Biden administration is being 'unfairly' viewed as 'lax' on border issues: 'We are sending back over 100,000 people a month'
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
- GOP governors have been sending migrants to eastern cities in protest of Biden's immigration policies.
- The lawmakers say Biden's administration isn't doing enough at the border.
- Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said it's unfair to say the Biden administration is "lax" on immigration.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said President Joe Biden's administration is being "unfairly" viewed as "lax" on immigration.
"This administration, I believe, unfairly, is perceived as lax on border enforcement. In fact, we are sending back over 100,000 people a month and have been for the last two years, over 2 million people. The lesson I learned managing this issue is you've got to repeat yourself maybe 25 times before anybody will listen to you," Johnson said in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
The former Obama administration official said that despite criticism from GOP governors on Biden's immigration policies, his administration has been sending people back at the border and advised the current administration to "continually stress that we are, in fact, with the machinery of government about as fast as we probably can. "
Johnson added that border security is a lot tougher since he served as DHS Secretary eight years ago.
"We were dealing principally with the Northern Triangle countries Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. This problem has become hemispheric. In addition to those countries, you now have Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela who are not cooperating with us," Johnson said, adding that while border patrol capabilities have expanded, they're still struggling.
His remarks come as several GOP governors began sending migrants to northern US cities. Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew 50 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. In the past several weeks, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent around 8,000 migrants to Washington D.C. and another 2,200 to New York City.
The moves were efforts to protest Biden's immigration policies. Johnson called the migrant relocation efforts a "political stunt."
"Well, there's a right way and a wrong way to do that, Margaret," Johnson said. "The wrong way is on 20 minutes notice to send people by bus or airplane to the Edgartown Airport or to mass [avenue] in front of the vice president's residence without giving local resources, NGOs, shelter's local government an opportunity to plan for how they intend to feed and clothe and house migrants."
He added: "What the governors of Florida and Texas are doing, frankly, is a political stunt and treating people like livestock."
Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/CtDu91x
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Monday, September 19, 2022
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