On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) responded to a question on why President Joe Biden waited months to take action on the border even after Pritzker himself called the situation unsustainable, by arguing that 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump “did nothing for U.S. relations with Central and South America, and that really was the beginning of the cause of the problem at the border.”
Host Erin Burnett asked, “[B]ack in October, you called the border situation untenable, undocumented immigrants are being sent to your state. It took eight months more, eight months after you call the situation untenable for President Biden to issue his executive order. Obviously, the Vice President had been charged with being a point person on the border issue for the Biden administration. How is this not going to be a major liability for her?”
Pritzker responded, “Well, you’ve got to remember that Joe Biden, who is known for bringing bipartisanship to Washington, actually put forward a border security bill. And what happened? It was Donald Trump that blew it up, even though Republicans and Democrats wanted it to happen, Donald Trump told Republicans [back] off, don’t vote for it, and he destroyed the opportunity to fix the problem, as, by the way, he did when he was President. He did nothing. And we need comprehensive immigration reform. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden both have been in favor of that. I’m in favor of that. It’s what Democrats stand for, Republicans don’t.”
Burnett then asked, “I do want to follow with you on that, as I did with the attorney general of New York yesterday. Obviously, the Republicans were responsible for that bill failing. That’s true. But yet, it still took months for President Biden to issue that executive order. Do you hope that Vice President Harris would have done something differently? It’s one thing to say, well, we didn’t get a bill. It’s another to just continue to allow an untenable situation to continue, which is what this administration did.”
Pritzker answered, “Look, the bill would have been the immediate solution, there’s no doubt. But, it takes a lot, it isn’t just about issuing executive orders. You’ve got to go negotiate with the leaders of Mexico. They were in the middle of an election. You’ve got to negotiate with the leaders of South American, Central American countries. We’ve got to make sure that we’re managing this well. Remember, under Donald Trump, do you remember the people that were lining up to come to the border that were trying to get into the United States? He did nothing for U.S. relations with Central and South America, and that really was the beginning of the cause of the problem at the border. So, I’m very excited about the idea that Kamala Harris is going to lead us going forward. We have so much to accomplish in this country. Republicans have been standing in the way. Donald Trump wants to blow up all the progress that’s been made. Think about how we’ve rescued the economy as Democrats across the country. Donald Trump wants to change that, and go back to a world where, frankly, he’s sending jobs overseas. That’s what Donald Trump stands for.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
