Arizona Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) invited White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to tour the southern border after she made false claims about border crossings.
“White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s continued dismissal of the nation’s border crisis is outrageous,” Biggs said. “As the chief spokesperson of the President of the United States, she is either deliberately lying to the American public or is utterly unaware of this catastrophe that stretches across the nation’s 2,000-mile border with Mexico.”
The Arizona Sun Times reached out to Arizona sheriffs, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Kari Lake campaign for comments on this situation but did not receive any before publishing.
Jean-Pierre’s claims, which spurred this invitation, came from a White House press briefing. During the meeting, Peter Doocy of Fox News asked her about the White House’s unvaccinated traveler’s policy, questioning who can enter the country without a vaccine. For example, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was barred from traveling to New York to participate in the U.S. Open. He further pressed the issue by asking why it is acceptable for unvaccinated people to walk across the border.
“Somebody unvaccinated comes over on a plane. You say that’s not okay. Somebody walks into Texas or Arizona unvaccinated, they’re allowed to stay? Why?” Doocy asked.
“But that’s not how it works,” Jean-Pierre responded, further stating, “it’s not like somebody walks over,” while speaking about immigration at the border.
She should visit the border sometime.
I'm happy to arrange the trip. https://t.co/7AVCENd5ET
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) August 29, 2022
According to Fox News, she later clarified her remarks by saying migrants who attempt entry into the country are taken into custody and either expelled under Title 42, transferred to ICE custody, or monitored as they await further processing.
In his letter extending the official tour offer to Jean-Pierre, Biggs shared that nearly 5 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the southern border since President Joe Biden took office. Moreover, there is no COVID-19 vaccination requirement for illegal immigrants entering the country.
“Given that most of these individuals are migrating from countries with low COVID-19 vaccination rates and are traveling in large groups – something that defies Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance – it is safe to assume that COVID-19 is rampant among illegal aliens crossing our southern border,” Biggs wrote.
He said that if data is insufficient, a tour of the Arizona-Mexico border will show that unvaccinated illegal immigrants are undeniably coming across the border. A tour would also “enhance” Jean-Pierre’s knowledge of “this self-inflicted crisis.”
“Failure to accept this invitation suggests that she and the Biden White House are not interested in correcting their self-inflicted border crisis and will allow it to worsen,” Biggs said.
A recent video from Biggs shows the border near Sierra Vista. The wall in the video has an open gap and stops halfway up a hill where construction was never completed, while a cartel scout roams freely atop the ridge.
I’m at the Arizona-Mexico border and here is what I’m seeing:
🚨 Cartel scouts roaming freely.
🚨 Border wall gaps.
🚨 Unused border wall material rotting away.
The Biden Administration’s border policies have failed America. pic.twitter.com/M6lKTc6tct
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) August 30, 2022
Moreover, despite Governor Doug Ducey’s recent success in filling gaps in the border wall near Yuma with shipping containers, Fox 10 reported that migrant entries are not slowing down. A nearly five-mile stretch of border with no wall in the Cocopah Indian Reservation near Yuma makes an easy entry point for migrants. Furthermore, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels shared that U.S. citizens, often recruited over social media, are helping illegal immigrants enter the country. From January to July, nearly 600 people booked in Dannels’ jail for border-related crimes were American citizens.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Andy Biggs” by Andy Biggs. Photo “Karine Jean-Pierre” by The White House. Background Photo “Border Wall” by Amyyfory. CC BY-SA 4.0.
