The White House this week argued that the Southern border is “closed” following the discovery of 46 dead immigrants in a truck trailer in San Antonio.
At least 60 people were discovered crammed inside the trailer, where they were discovered this week, 46 of them were dead on the scene.
The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that President Joe Biden had been informed of the matter, as he departed for a NATO conference in Spain.
In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott charged that President Biden was to blame for their deaths.
“These fatalities are the result of Biden’s deadly open border policies,” Abbott declared on social media. “They demonstrate the deadly effects of his refusal to enforce the law.”
“It’s a sad reminder of the death and suffering caused by Biden’s open borders policies,” Sen. Marco Rubio said after hearing about the incident.
Biden’s actions were praised by Jean-Pierre, who said that the migrant deaths proved the efficacy of Biden’s border security strategy.
“The fact is the border is closed, which is why you see people attempting to make this perilous journey via smuggling networks.”
“We are looking into the matter and will investigate it,” she added. “The president will continue to be informed.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who perished, as well as those still fighting for their lives,” she added.
Biden oversaw the release of an estimated one million border crossers into the United States.
In the past year, record illegal immigration rates have made headlines. The surge in Central American migrants, many of them unaccompanied minors, has been straining U.S. resources at the border. Democrats have called the situation a “humanitarian crisis.”
Biden has made the situation worse by rolling back Trump’s policies that were effective in reducing illegal immigration. The “catch and release” policy allows illegal aliens to be released into the U.S. while they await their court hearings, which can take years. Biden has also stopped construction of the border wall, which was helping to deter illegal crossings.
The result of these policies has been a dramatic increase in illegal immigration. In March 2021, apprehensions at the southwest border reached their highest level in 15 years. More than 172,000 people were apprehended or deemed inadmissible, an increase of nearly 71% from February. The majority of these migrants are coming from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.