On Tuesday’s “CNN News Central,” Biden Campaign Co-Chair Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) responded to Republican criticisms that President Joe Biden has changed parole rules and made it easier for people to come to the U.S. and stay by stating that “Donald Trump used the parole system as well” and that we don’t need “hardline policies passed by Congress” on the border.
After Escobar criticized Republicans, co-host Boris Sanchez asked, “They would argue, Congresswoman, that President Biden’s executive orders have made the problem worse, specifically on the issue of parole. We don’t have much time, but I’d like for you to respond to that question of changing parole rules that have made it easier for a lot of people to enter the country and stay in the country without accountability, being able to skip their court dates.”
Escobar responded, “So, first of all, Donald Trump used the parole system as well. When ICE detention facilities were overcrowded during his administration, facilities that I toured, facilities that I brought my colleagues to El Paso to visit and tour, former President Donald Trump also used parole. So, what Republicans are trying to do is claim two things: Number one, that they need hardline policies passed by Congress, which is why they’re big champions of their own border bill called H.R. 2, but then, at the same time, they’re trying to convince the American people, no, don’t listen to what we just said, the President alone can fix it. Neither one of those is true. We need to work together if we are going to solve this and achieve the opportunities that exist for us. It is Republicans, though, who continue to walk away, and we will continue to remind the American people of that.”
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