Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg clarified on CNBC that President Biden did not eliminate all border policies of Trump, only those involving family separation.
He highlighted the economic pull and poor conditions in Latin America as factors driving immigration, clashing with CNBC’s Joe Kernen regarding the border situation under Trump.
“So, the whole move to try to come up with something by the administration, and obviously, bipartisan, that didn’t come until it became clear it was going to be a major campaign issue, and only then did the Biden administration get interested in it,” Kernen said.
“But every time we hear those talking points, that, suddenly, it was Republicans who ruined the border, that’s why people get so frustrated. We know what President Biden said about inviting people in. We know that he got rid of all the things that were keeping the border closed that President Trump had put in. We know that he got rid of all of those. So, when you say it’s not his fault –”
“That’s literally not true. It’s literally not true that he got rid of –,” Buttigieg cut in, only to be interrupted by Kernen.
Buttigieg emphasized bipartisan efforts for immigration reform and criticized the previous administration for cutting legal immigration.
“Okay, he got rid of family separation. … He got rid of the policy to tear children out of the arms of their parents, that’s true. But it is not true, some of the other things that have been suggested,” Buttigieg admitted.
He blamed congressional Republicans, citing Trump’s influence, for stalling a bipartisan compromise on immigration.
Buttigieg then turned to bipartisan efforts on immigration reform, which he said have existed for a long time.
“The last administration cut legal immigration. And meanwhile, our economy is pulling people, just as much as terrible conditions in Latin America are pushing people. And when there’s finally a bipartisan compromise that would help address at least some of those issues, congressional Republicans couldn’t get it done, because Donald Trump, who’s not even in elected office, killed it. That is a fact,” Buttigieg later added.
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