Speaking to Steve Hilton on Fox News Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., criticized the Biden administration for the ongoing border crisis, saying that the government “wants to make Central America great again.”
“Just look at the situation in Central America as an example,” Gaetz said. “The Biden-Harris administration, they don’t want to extend physical security at the border, they don’t want to give our border patrol more resources. Instead, what they want to do is they want to take $700 million dollars and go try to make Central America great again.”
.@RepMattGaetz: Biden-Harris administration wants to make Central America great again#NextRevFNC pic.twitter.com/RCHcq4wIkI
— The Next Revolution (@NextRevFNC) March 29, 2021
The Florida congressman was referring to Biden’s statement in his first press conference last week that his administration will reinstate the $700 million in foreign aid to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala that former President Donald Trump ceased.
According to an Axios report on Monday based on leaked documents, the White House predicts the number of unaccompanied minors at the southern border will continue to surge to historic levels for the next six months. The Biden administration noted that the number of minors may reach 26,000 by September, whereas about 16,000 have crossed in the current month of March.
Still, at his press conference, Biden attempted to duck questions on the border crisis. He claimed that “nothing has changed” from his administration to Trump’s on border policy and outcomes—even though a whole lot certainly has on Central American policy. A month ago, Biden repealed a Trump policy that required Central American asylum-seekers remain in Mexico until the U.S. reviews the documentation.
The Biden administration is aiming to make “a Marshall Plan for these countries where the American taxpayer would again be hollowed out,” said Gaetz.
Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas sent an email to his department on Monday pleading for government officials to “consider volunteering” at the southern border due to the ongoing surge.
“We still need assistance,” Mayorkas wrote. “Please consider volunteering with the DHS Volunteer Force. I have asked Component leadership and I am asking supervisors to please make every effort to support our colleagues who request to volunteer. The safety of our employees is a priority and we have been able to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to volunteers who want one.”
“This is like the surge during the Obama administration, when they put out calls for volunteers,” a current Homeland Security official who wishes to remain anonymous told Yahoo News. “The volunteer force is doing whatever needs to be done. Last time, it was mostly not interacting with migrants directly, but some people did things like help run names; others ran errands or picked up trash. Now it’s the same thing. They are getting more people than they can process, so this is an all-hands-on-deck.”
Gaetz harped on the importance of an America first platform, especially on immigration policy.
“I don’t know who is really signing up for a future that is better for globalists, for international organizations, for the World Health Organization, for Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and not for our people,” Gaetz said.
