Former President Donald Trump unloaded on President Biden Thursday over the border chaos, saying he’s unleashed an unprecedented crime wave and turned the U.S. into “an uncivilized country.”
“We are living right now in a rat’s nest. They are killing our people,” Mr. Trump said as he squared off against Mr. Biden in the first debate of the general election.
Mr. Trump said he left the border in good shape as he departed office and Mr. Biden broke it.
“All he had to do was leave it,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Biden defended his immigration record as more humane than Mr. Trump’s, saying the former president oversaw family separations.
“It was bedlam when he left office,” Mr. Biden said.
The numbers back Mr. Trump’s claims over Mr. Biden.
In December 2020, the last full month under Mr. Trump, Customs and Border Protection nabbed roughly 75,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border, and nearly all of them were either expelled, deported or detained.
By comparison, this past December under Mr. Biden, CBP tallied more than 300,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border and a majority were quickly released.
Mr. Biden said he’s made headway in recent weeks. He pointed to a policy change earlier this month that tightened asylum standards. Homeland Security said it’s led to a 40% drop in Border Patrol arrests at the southern border.
Mr. Trump, though, said much of the damage is already done with the millions of people who have been caught and released into American communities over the last three years.
“We don’t have borders anymore,” he said. “Because of his ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and they’re killing our citizens.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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