Buttigieg dodges question on if Biden administration was ‘caught off-guard’ on latest migrant surge

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not provide an answer when asked if the Biden administration had been “caught off-guard” over a recent surge in illegal immigrants along the southern border.

A total of 304,162 people were either apprehended by Border Patrol while they crossed the border illegally, were deemed inadmissible by customs officers at ports of entry, or found using new Biden initiatives to bypass the border and fly under the umbrella of temporary parole, according to data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday. When asked if the administration was not expecting this surge, Buttigieg started to say that the administration was responding “as needed” before being asked again if the administration was caught off-guard.

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“Look, the president did what needed to be done, and often that involves a rapid response like the rapid response that this administration directed,” Buttigieg told Meet the Press.

The total number of August’s immigrant encounters surpassed the previous record of 302,412 set in December 2022; it is also between five and 10 times higher than the average monthly totals seen during the Obama and Trump administrations.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as a Democratic candidate for president against incumbent President Joe Biden, criticized the White House’s response to the border crisis at a press conference held on Friday. The candidate claimed that immigration “shouldn’t be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue,” and also criticized giving migrants work visas.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made a sudden visit to the southern border on Saturday, during which he traveled to the Rio Grande Valley of southeast Texas. Mayorkas has been regularly criticized by Republican lawmakers for his handling of the southern border.

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On Wednesday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) sent the Texas National Guard to help with the “invasion” at the southern border, ordering officials to install more razor wire. Abbott also deployed other local law enforcement agencies along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, arguing in a letter sent to the president that the federal government is failing to protect Texans.

“Texans are paying the price for your failure,” the letter read. “Ranches are being ripped apart, and homes are vulnerable to intrusion. Our border communities are regularly disrupted by human traffickers and bailouts. Deadly fentanyl is crossing the porous border to such a degree that it is now the leading cause of death for citizens between the ages of 18 and 45.”