Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. And CNN’s Don Lemmon hotly debated immigration after President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union.
On Wednesday’s “CNN This Morning,” Donald criticized Biden’s humanitarian parole program, which would allow 30,000 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, or Nicaraguans to enter the United States a month if those countries I enter at a legal point of entry and have a sponsor.
The congressman claimed that the new border measures did nothing to stem the flow of immigration into the U.S. and merely “re-allocated” the problem from illegal entry points to legal ports. He also said the Biden administration is trying to “shift the burden” rather than stigmatize the issue.
After Donald claimed that 1.6 million immigrants entered under Biden in 2021 and more than 2 million in 2022, Lemon said those numbers did not match the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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FILE: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., is interviewed on his way to the House chamber to participate in the 14th vote for Speaker of the House, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
“The president put forward a plan, wouldn’t that be a better response. Well, we don’t agree with it, but we want to take that framework and work on it and try to improve it. Are – instead of saying it’s not good, it won’t work?” Lemon asked.
Donalds then fired back at Lemon, saying he knows the numbers at border crossings have increased and that Biden’s executive orders on immigration have caused a massive increase in people crossing the border illegally.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lemon interjected.
“I am,” Donalds responded before Lemon rephrased his initial question about working with Biden’s framework.
“We would love to work with the president. We would love to,” Donalds said. “But you actually have to secure the border, you have to take care of the issues.
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CNN plucked Don Lemon from primetime for a new gig on “CNN This Morning” in late 2022. (CNN)
Lemon then interjected, noting that Donalds was criticizing something that happened in the past and was looking backwards rather than forwards. He also compared the lawmaker to GOP members who heckled Biden during the State of the Union over fentanyl overdoses.
Donalds then said that looking back was necessary to realize that the overall protocol remained the same under the current administration. He then urged Biden to restore Mexico’s policy, including deciding on asylum before someone reaches the border. Republicans then tried to propose another change before Lemmon cut it down again.
“I don’t want to continue arguing with you and I want my colleagues to come in, but is there an answer instead of we don’t want to look back and look forward, what can we do here?” Lemon asked again.
“Going forward, you have to give border agents the proper tools to properly secure the border. The president took that away from them. That’s what he did,” Donalds said.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California look on. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
The Biden administration has been rocked by a migrant crisis at the southern border that is now entering its third year, with a record 2.3 million refugees in fiscal year 2022 and nearly 600,000 “getaways.” A record 251,000 immigrants arrived in December alone.
Republicans have blasted the administration over the crisis, accusing it of rolling back Trump-era border security policies and immigration enforcement. But the administration has blamed the hemisphere-wide crisis and targeted Republicans for not agreeing to funding and reform measures proposed by the administration.
Adam Shaw of Fox News contributed to this report.
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