Former President Donald Trump has commented on the enormous influx of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied children, crossing the US border with Mexico, as he slammed the Biden administration for being responsible for the crisis.
In the statement shared by his ex-press secretary Sean Spicer on Sunday, Trump stressed that the Biden administration should immediately resume construction of the wall on the US-Mexico border in light of the crisis.
"We proudly handed the Biden Administration the most secure border in history. All they had to do was keep this smooth-running system on autopilot," the former president began the statement, noting that "in the span of a just few weeks, the Biden Administration has turned a national triumph into a national disaster."
"The only way to end the Biden Border Crisis is for them to admit their total failure and adopt the profoundly effective, proven Trump policies," Trump stated. "They must immediately complete the wall, which can be done in a matter of weeks—they should never have stopped it."
Statement from President Trump on the situation on the border as well his thoughts on @DHSgov Secretary Mayorkas #BorderCrisis #Border pic.twitter.com/8LQ3V4NHhY
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 21, 2021
Trump stressed that the new administration is "in way over their heads and taking on water fast."
He also criticized the Secretary of the Department of Home Security Alejandro Mayorkas' interview on Sunday, where he put the blame for the situation at the border on the former administration due to the partial abolition of the infrastructure for the temporary accommodation of illegal immigrants.
"It is especially challenging and difficult now, because the entire system under United States law that has been in place throughout administrations of both parties was dismantled in its entirety by the Trump administration," Mayorkas told ABC earlier on Sunday. "So we are rebuilding the system as we address the needs of vulnerable children who arrive at our borders."
Trump stressed that the current administration should be a subject of "an immediate congressional investigation" for the purported gag order, imposed on border agents and ICE officers, stating they are "engaged in a huge cover-up to hide just how bad things truly are."
He also noted that he holds the Biden administration accountable for "death and human tragedy," including drug and human trafficking.
"This Administration’s reckless policies are enabling and encouraging crimes against humanity. Our Country is being destroyed!" the statement concluded.
Data from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows 9,457 unaccompanied migrant children were apprehended at the southern border in February, which is a substantial increase from the 5,858 unaccompanied migrant children apprehended in January. At least 29,729 migrant children have been apprehended at the US-Mexico border in the period from October to February.
According to CBS News, the children are spending around 136 hours in CBP custody, which is far more than the legal 72-hour limit.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said earlier this week that the administration of US President Joe Biden has failed to provide safe and humane conditions at two recently-opened facilities in Texas that are holding migrant children.
Overall, 100,441 migrants were apprehended entering the United States illegally in the month of February.
In January, after he assumed the Oval Office, Biden signed a number of decrees, including softening the country's migration legislation. One of the first orders of the president was the cancellation of the state of emergency imposed by Trump in connection with the situation on the US-Mexican border. This state made it possible to finance the construction of the wall, bypassing Congress' approval.
