Former President Trump on Tuesday blamed his successor for the burgeoning crisis at the southern border, saying previous progress has been "eroded" under President Biden.
In an interview with Fox News Channel’s Maria Bartiromo, Trump argued that his working relationship with Mexico and the partially constructed border wall had acted as deterrents for migrants while he was in office.
“We did a lot of things, and all of that is now eroded,” Trump said. “Today, they’re coming in from all foreign countries. ... They’re dropping them off, and they’re coming into our country, and it’s a disgrace. They’re going to destroy our country if they don’t do something about it.”
The Biden administration is scrambling to accommodate a surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America who have arrived at the southern border seeking entry into the U.S.
Reports indicate the federal government now has more than 13,000 young people in custody. Many are being kept in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cells meant for adults for longer than is legally permissible.
Democrats hammered Trump for his own handling of migrant children. Under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, children were separated from their parents in an effort to deter families from crossing the border illegally. Democrats also repeatedly criticized Trump for keeping children in CBP cells, where they did not have access to educational, health or legal services.
The Biden White House has publicly urged migrants to stay home and not attempt to enter the U.S. But the border surge has shown no signs of abating, and the administration has been searching for answers after allowing thousands of young people to stay in the country as they make their way through the immigration processing system.
The administration will reportedly house thousands of young people at a convention center in Dallas and 1,000 more at a tent city outside of Midland, Texas, as it seeks to move young people out of CBP custody.
“They’re destroying our country,” Trump said on Tuesday. “People are coming in by the hundreds of thousands. Young people are coming in, and they leave their homes, and they come up because they think it’s going to be so wonderful, and frankly our country can’t handle it. It’s a crisis like we’ve rarely had and certainly we’ve never had on the border, and it’s going to get much worse. ... With a little bit of time, you’ll see those numbers expand at a level like you’ve never seen before.”
