On Tuesday’s broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Senior Adviser to President Joe Biden Tom Perez stated that he just doesn’t believe that the President’s immigration action earlier in the day will incentivize people to come to the country illegally and stated that “We need to control our border, and we’ve done that through the executive actions.”
Co-host Mary Louise Kelly asked, [relevant exchange begins around 4:05] “So, what is it that Republicans like…Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are missing? Because they do not support this. He’s come out with a statement today calling this an ‘election-year border charade’ and raising the fear that this will ‘incentivize more illegal immigration and endanger Americans.’ How do you persuade people like Speaker Johnson, others who may share his view, that this is the best path forward?”
Perez answered, “Well, we live in a world where some people like to create false choices, we either secure the border or we help people. If we help people who’ve been here 23 years, somehow, that’s going to be a magnet? I just don’t buy that. And we have to remove these false choices. The President firmly believes in balance. We need to control our border, and we’ve done that through the executive actions. And we need to provide pathways to opportunity.”
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