Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) says her state can’t house unaccompanied minor illegal immigrants amid a growing border crisis. She says the problem was created by President Joe Biden and it’s his responsibility to correct the situation.
Reynolds, a Republican, told U.S. news station “WHO Radio” earlier this week that the Biden administration had asked her to house children crossing the border illegally, but she had turned them down.
“We don’t have the facilities and we’re not set up for that,” Reynolds said, “It’s not our problem, it’s the president’s problem.”
The governor also explained that at this moment there are still children from Iowa that need to be placed in foster homes.
“He’s the one who opened the border. He needs to take responsibility for that, and he needs to stop this.” She added.
Young minors lie in a small pod at the Department of Homeland Security detention facility in Downer, Texas, March 30, 2021, the main U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley region.
Recently, 11 former Border Patrol chiefs sent a letter to Congress asking them to address the border crisis.
“On behalf of the retired chiefs of the U.S. Border Patrol, we are gravely concerned about the current crisis on the Southwest border. It is time to address our broken immigration system and the triggers and push forces that are causing mass migration and impacting border security.” The letter reads, as quoted by Breitbart News.
The letter was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Four of the letter’s co-authors served as heads of the Border Patrol, and several others were agency heads at the Department of Homeland Security.
Young minors who tested positive for COVID-19 sit on the floor at the detention center in Downer, Texas, March 30, 2021.
“An unprecedented number of unaccompanied children are arriving at the southern border. Children are arriving daily at a rate that will likely exceed previous border crises,” the letter reads, “with the total number of unaccompanied children reaching 9,500 in February, a 61 percent increase from January.”
“The thrusts of poverty, violence, politics and lack of economic opportunity have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the change in administration, strong signals of policy change and the security posture at the border have led to a dramatic increase in the number of undocumented immigrants seeking to enter the United States.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol apprehended 101,000 illegal immigrants at the southern border in February, a 28 percent increase from January. In March, the number reached an even higher 172,000.
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