- At least 46 migrants were found dead in an abandoned tractor-trailer outside San Antonio.
- The White House defended its immigration policies saying: ‘The border is closed’
- The White House touted a crackdown on smuggling that has led to 1,800 arrests in two months.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned human smuggling rings that “disregard the lives they endanger and exploit for profit” and defended his administration’s border policies. after the death of at least 50 people in a remote area outside of San Antonio who are believed to be migrants who had crossed the border between the United States and Mexico.
“This incident underscores the need to go after the multibillion-dollar criminal smuggling industry that preys on migrants and causes too many innocent deaths,” Biden said in a statement.
Sixteen other victims were taken to hospitals Monday after a tractor-trailer carrying suspected immigrants was found abandoned outside San Antonio. Police said the deaths were the result of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, blamed the Biden administration’s immigration policies for the crash amid a record number of illegal border crossings on the southern border.
“These deaths are on Biden,” Abbott said in a Tweet. “They are the result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of their refusal to enforce the law.”
When pressed about such criticism, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who was traveling with Biden in Europe for the Group of Seven and NATO conferences, said they were focused on the unfolding tragedy. and in holding human traffickers accountable.
Biden defended his administration’s policies on immigration, calling the political bluster surrounding the tragedy “shameful.”
Biden has also faced criticism from immigration activists, some Democrats and Republicans for failing to address increased migration at the US-Mexico border.
Immigration advocates have expressed feeling betrayed, saying Biden has embraced or even increased some of the Trump administration’s most extreme policies, despite promises to reverse his predecessor’s hard-line approach on the issue. Conservatives say Biden’s focus on the hot-button issue has fueled new waves of illegal immigration at the border.
Vice President Kamala Harris, designated as the administration’s point person on immigration, traveled to Central America last year, but the efforts have not led to any major action or progress.
Jean-Pierre said a new White House-led crackdown on smuggling has resulted in 1,800 arrests in two months. It comes as the number of undocumented immigrants seeking to enter the US has reached record levels, producing a major political backlash for Biden.
Plus:A ‘brutal crosscurrent’: Why Biden’s immigration policies are making everyone angry
In May, US Customs and Border Protection found 239,416 at the southern border, an increase from April, which was the highest total for a month in 22 years. CBP officials said 25% of those encounters had been from people who had previously attempted to cross the border at least once and 42% of the migrants were expelled under the Title 42 public health order.
In May, a federal judge ruled that pandemic-related restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the southern border must continue, blocking Biden’s plan to end Title 42.
Contributor: Rebecca Morin, USA Today White House Correspondent.
Contact Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
Reference-www.usatoday.com