White House Won’t Say Whether the Border Is Secure

(CNSNews.com) – White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would not say Tuesday whether the southern border is secure despite the record number of migrants crossing the border illegally.

“A follow up to some of the immigration news from over the break. Does anybody around here think that the southern border is secure?” Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked.

JEAN-PIERRE: What I can tell you is this is a president who has been working since day one to work on border security, to make an immigration a priority. That’s why he put forth a comprehensive immigration reform plan, legislation, and here’s the thing. 

As the president is coming forward and trying to come up with solutions, the difference here is that you have Republicans as you know who are doing political stunts, and you know, and we’ve called that out over and over and over again, and the president is willing, is willing to work with Congress – Republicans, Democrats, Independents – to work on these issues that matter to the American people, but this is an issue that the president has taken very, very seriously since day one of his administration.

DOOCY: But roughly 7,000 migrants crossing everyday illegally. Does the White House believe that the border is secure?

JEAN-PIERRE: I’ve told you what we have done, what we have made this a priority, to make sure–

DOOCY: These things that you have done, are they working?

JEAN-PIERRE: Here’s the thing, Peter. The president has taken historic actions that no other president has been able to do. When you think about the 23,000 agents that he has been able– we have been able to put out there to deal with the issue that we’re seeing at the border, and that is something that he did without a lot of Republican support, right, make sure that we are dealing with a real issue.

When you think about the smugglers really putting a plan in place that we deal with the smugglers right? 

And we have to be very careful here, Peter, on how we talk about this, because if we talk about it in a way that is misinformation, then it helps the smugglers, and so these are the issues that the president is taking incredibly seriously, and again, I will say this – I just said it moments ago – he’s willing to work with Republicans. 

He’s willing to work with Democrats. He’s willing to work with independents to work on this issue, to move forward with his comprehensive plan that he put forward on day one of this administration.

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