President Biden accused Republicans on Thursday of “playing politics with human beings” after two busloads of immigrants sent by the governor of Texas arrived in front of the Naval Observatory, where Vice President Kamala Harris lives.
In an address during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s gala kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month, Mr. Biden said GOP border-state governors were using migrants “as props” by busing and flying them into blue states that pride themselves on being illegal-immigrant sanctuaries.
“What they’re doing is simply wrong, it’s un-American, it’s reckless,” he said. “We have a process in place to manage migrants at the border. We’re working to make sure it’s safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts.”
Earlier Thursday, 100 migrants showed up on Ms. Harris’s doorstep unannounced, courtesy of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
The White House said administration officials were given no advanced warning that the buses would be arriving. The migrants on the buses said they were unaware that the final destination was the vice president’s residence.
The governors in Arizona and Florida have also recently sent illegal immigrants into liberal metropolitan areas that have been declared “sanctuary cities.” Just on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron De Santis sent some to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
They say the move is in response to elected officials who refuse to acknowledge problems arising from a porous southern border.
On Sunday Ms. Harris told NBC’s Chuck Todd that the southern border was “secure” but blamed the Trump administration.
“We have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including ours and our administration. But there are still a lot of problems that we are trying to fix given the deterioration that happened over the last four years,” she said.
In his address Thursday, Mr. Biden chided Republicans for not negotiating on a measure to provide a pathway to citizenship for illegal and other immigrants.
“It’s long overdue for Senate Republicans to come to the table to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farmworkers and essential workers,” he said. “We need to modernize our laws so businesses get workers they need and families don’t have to wait decades to be brought back together. It’s time to get it done.”
• Kerry Picket contributed to this report.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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