Biden slams Republicans for using immigrants as ‘props’ in ‘political stunts’
Washington, Sep 15 (EFE).- US President Joe Biden on Thursday condemned Republican governors for using immigrants as “props” for “political stunts,” after they transported dozens of people by bus and plane from Florida and Texas into Democratic states.
“Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props. What they’re doing is simply wrong, it’s un-American, it’s reckless,” the president said at the annual gala of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
“We have a process in place to manage migrants at the border. We’re working to make sure it’s safe and orderly and humane. Republican officials should not interfere with that process by waging these political stunts,” he added.
On Wednesday, about 50 immigrants, most of them Venezuelans, arrived on the exclusive island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, sent by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in protest over what his spokesperson described as the Biden administration’s open border policies.
Massachusetts state Rep. Dylan Fernandes wrote on Twitter that “immigrants are being dropped off on Martha’s Vineyard by chartered flights from Texas. Many don’t know where they are. They say they were told they would be given housing and jobs. Islanders we’re given no notice but are coming together as a community to support them.”
Then, on Thursday morning, two bus loads of migrants sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, also a Republican, arrived in front of the Washington DC residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denounced DeSantis and Abbot, saying “the fact that Fox News – and not the Department of Homeland Security, the city, or local NGOs – were alerted about a plan to leave migrants, including children, on the side of a busy DC street makes clear that this is just a cruel, premeditated political stunt.”
“The migrants, including children, who arrived in Martha’s Vineyard were misled about where they were being taken and what would be provided when they arrived – is also deeply alarming.”
Biden said the Republicans should instead work with his administration on solutions.
“It’s long overdue for Senate Republicans to come to the table and provide a pathway for citizenship for Dreamers, those in temporary status, farmworkers and essential workers. We need to modernize our laws so businesses get workers they need, and families don’t have to wait decades to be brought back together. It’s time to get it done,” he said.
He stressed that the Democratic victory in the midterm elections on Nov. 8 is crucial.
Biden had the audience in his favor in his criticism of the opposition and did not limit himself to reproaching them for their actions on immigration.
Less than two months before the polls, in which the Democrats are vying for control of Congress, he reviewed his latest parliamentary achievements such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the cancellation of some student debt, and the tightening of gun control legislation. EFE
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