Peter Doocy Challenges Karine Jean-Pierre on Border Issue
During a recent White House press briefing, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy questioned Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about Vice President Kamala Harris's stance on border security, particularly asking how long Harris has felt that President Joe Biden hasn't effectively addressed the border crisis.
Doocy referenced Harris’s previous campaign promise to "increase border security" and reduce illegal immigration into the United States. In March 2021, President Biden assigned Harris the task of addressing the “root causes” of migration in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries. Over the years, Harris’s views on immigration have shifted, both in her current role and her previous position as a U.S. senator.
Doocy asked, “How long have you guys known that Vice President Kamala Harris does not think President Biden is doing a good job at the border?” After asking him to repeat the question, Jean-Pierre responded by accusing Doocy of misinterpreting Harris’s stance, and she claimed that “Republicans in Congress” and former President Donald Trump were the main obstacles to securing the border.
“The president does want more Border Patrol agents,” Jean-Pierre clarified. “You know who’s getting in the way? Republicans in Congress. They’re getting in the way. You know who else is getting in the way? The former president, Donald Trump. He’s getting in the way. I mean, there’s no daylight here. I’m not getting the question because there’s no daylight. The president believes that as well and he’s worked toward doing that.”
Jean-Pierre went on to discuss the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, a legislative effort aimed at streamlining the immigration process by funding more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges. The act also sought to manage the influx of illegal entries, which averaged over 5,000 daily over the previous week. However, on February 7, Senate Republicans narrowly defeated the bill in a 49-50 vote. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson subsequently announced that the bill was “dead on arrival” in the House.
Harris’s campaign ads frequently focus on her commitment to strengthening border security. A July ad emphasized her pledge to “increase the number of Border Patrol personnel,” allocate more funds to combat human trafficking, and utilize advanced technology to block drug smuggling.
Former Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott, who served while Harris held the title of “border czar,” told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) in August that he never communicated directly with Harris. He also alleged that the Biden-Harris administration had “redirected millions and millions” away from enforcement measures, using public funds to support non-governmental organizations in relocating undocumented immigrants to various destinations within the country.
Harris has also faced criticism from NumbersUSA, an organization advocating for “sensible immigration” policies, for supporting measures they claim would undermine border security. During her time as a senator in 2018, Harris argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was comparable to the KKK, and in 2020, she voiced support for providing health care access to undocumented immigrants.