On 12/19/2022, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “Just a question on migration. The President tasked the Vice President with studying and working on the root causes of some of these issues. I’m wondering if there’s any update from this side of the White House on what she’s been doing and what she will continue to do as we’re expecting an influx at the border after Wednesday.
KJP: Well, as you know, the President appreciates the partnership that he has with the Vice President. You’re right, that has been her charge, to work in a diplomatic way on finding the root causes of — of migration. I don’t have anything to lay out specifically on what that work looks like. But, again, we appreciate her partnership. And I would probably refer you to her office on anything specific on the work that she’s doing.
Reporter: This is going to be big news, and it is big news, across the Western Hemisphere, because migrants aren’t just coming from the Northern Triangle anymore; they’re coming from Chile, from Peru, from Ecuador — whose president is here today — Venezuela, Colombia, of course. What is the White House’s message to somebody who may see this somewhere in the Western Hemisphere and think, “After Wednesday, it’s going to be easier to get into the United States”?
KJP: … The fact that the removal of Title 42 is happening in just a day or two doesn’t mean that the border is open. It just doesn’t mean that … That doesn’t change the process that we have been moving forward with since day one of this administration. Look, we are surging — surging assistance to the border …
KJP Suggests Biden Still Has NO PLANS To Visit The Southern Border
Reporter: I know you’ve been asked about this before, but just yesterday, Representative Cuellar told “Face the Nation” that he wants to see President Biden go to the border. He said it doesn’t have to be for a photo op, but a leader has to show images of being up there in front. So does the President have any plans to go to the border? Is now a good time to go?
KJP: Like you said, I’ve addressed this before. Look, the President’s focus right now is to come up with solutions, is focused on making sure that we have the resources to manage what — the challenges that we’re seeing at the border. And right now, we — as you know, we have a budget request in front of Congress. And, again, if congressional Republicans are serious about dealing with the challenges that we’re seeing at the border, they will assist.
Reporter: But given what we’re seeing at the border —
KJP: I — I just answered the question. I just said we’ve — we’ve litigated that back and forth here for the past two weeks or so.
Reporter: So, in plain English, to migrants who might be thinking about it, what should they do after Wednesday?
KJP: I just laid that really clear. It — it would be wrong to think that the border is open. It is not open. And I just want to be very, very clear about that … I do want to go back for a second to your immigration question. One of the reasons that I want to be very clear that — to folks that the border is not open and we will remove, using Title 8, is because by not being very clear on that, we are doing the work of the smugglers who are going to put forth misinformation. So we want to be very clear on that piece.
Reporter: Karine, Texas Governor Abbott said that if Title 42 expires, that the border would be, quote, “total chaos.” Is that a correct assessment? Or what’s your response to that?
KJP: Here, what I can say — and I’ve answered this question many — many which ways from your colleagues today. What I can say is that Department of Homeland Security is surging resources at the border at this time, … you know, we need Congress to give us the funds we’ve requested to do this in a safe, orderly — in a safe, orderly, and humane way. And again, I’ll say this — this one last time: If Republicans in Congress are serious about the border — border security and actually address — addressing this challenge, they would ensure that … But, again, we are doing the work. The President has been doing the work at the border since day one by first putting forth the immigration reform legislation and also securing funding — historic funding to Department of Homeland Security, that 23,000 agents — that matter. That is something we have not seen under any other President. Now we’re asking Congressional Republicans to assist and do the same.
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Q: VP Harris root causes result? A: Biden appreciates Harris; Biden Still Has NO PLANS To Visit The Southern Border