House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday claimed Republicans’ argument about the circumstances on the southern border was not true.
Just hours before the federal COVID era public health order Title 42 was set to expire, Mr. Jeffries slammed House GOP lawmakers’ Secure the Border Act that is intended to roll back Biden administration policies that unleashed an unprecedented wave of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
Title 42, introduced during the Trump administration, allowed for the immediate expulsion of migrants under COVID-era rules.
“This is all based on a false premise that fentanyl is coming into our country, according to the extreme MAGA Republicans, from people who are entering this country illegally, when statistics clearly indicate that approximately 90% of the fentanyl that comes into this country comes through the ports of entry, not as a result of illegal crossings,” Mr. Jeffries said.
“The majority of individuals who are detained for illegally bringing fentanyl into this country happen to be United States citizens. So as is often the case with extreme MAGA Republican colleagues, they create a fictional argument around what’s happening at the border.”
A spokesman for the Republican National Committee shot back at Mr. Jeffries on Twitter: “The crisis at the southern border is unprecedented — both in the sheer volume of illegal immigration, but also in its lack of humanity.”
The GOP legislation would restart border wall construction, add more Border Patrol agents, reel in the administration’s expansive and legally iffy use of parole to welcome unauthorized migrants, tighten the rules on claiming asylum and push to end the practice of catch and release.
The Republican bill is expected to come to the floor of the House Thursday for a final vote.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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