On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez criticized the Biden administration following reports that the president is considering reinstating a policy of separating migrant families at the U.S. border.
According to a report from the New York Times, despite criticizing the Trump administration for the same policy, President Biden is considering detaining those who present as families at the border.
This news comes as the border crisis under the Biden administration worsens, with millions of migrants crossing over and the deadly drug fentanyl entering from Mexico, the Daily Caller reported.
“You have been critical of the new changes in border policies that Secretary Mayorkas has done at DHS. What’s your alternative and what is your level of confidence in secretary Mayorkas?” NBC host Chuck Todd asked Menendez.
“Well, this is not about Secretary Mayorkas, this is about the administration,” Menendez responded. “The best part of the administration’s immigration policy over the first two years is that they ended family detention which proved to be a failure under both the Obama and Trump administrations as a way to deter individuals from coming.”
“What we need is a comprehensive plan to deal with the border and what are the elements, the push and pull factors that bring people to this country, he said. “We need to have a surge at the border that deals with asylum officers, uses border security, that ultimately can process those who have a legitimate claim for asylum and to deport those who have no legitimate claim for asylum.”
“The lack of communication on immigration-related policy decisions is an insult,” Menendez said, according to Axios. “It would be like making civil rights legislative ideas and thoughts without checking with the Congressional Black Caucus.”
Written by staff
B.C. Begley 