Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Sunday evening, CNN pushed preposterous Democratic spin blaming Republicans for the surge in illegal border crossings as CNN homeland security analyst Juliette Kayyem linked the problem to Republicans labeling the Joe Biden border policy as an "open border."
Kayyem -- who not only worked in the Barack Obama administration but also ran for governor of Massachusetts as a Democrat -- got to deliver her heavily misleading analysis without anyone right-leaning to give an opposing point of view.
Host Pamela Brown read a piece by Kayyem from The Atlantic which seemed to blame the Biden administration's promises to be more "humane" for the surge, but Kayyen then pivoted to blaming Republicans as she responded to her own words.
Brown asked if the Biden administration should "be more forceful in its messaging to convey the border is not open." Kayyem answered in the affirmative but then added:
One of the challenges, though, Pamela, to be clear here, is Republicans are going around saying that Biden is opening the border. So what that does is that is then echoed south -- everyone who wants to migrate hears that and thinks, "Oh, Biden's opened the border," and then they come. So part of it is the politics here is causing the migrant flow.
She then continued:
Biden said the exact opposite, in fact, and people would remember during the primary, President Biden was almost alone in going against his primary challengers in saying, "I don't want to decriminalize the border -- I recognize that we need a strong border." So you're getting this echo chamber from the politics here, and you mentioned that a bunch of Republicans are going down to the border saying, you know, wanting to use this tragedy for political purposes and saying the border is open...
No one bothered to explain that the fundamental problem is that, due to several laws and legal precedents, Central American adults who bring their children with them -- if they cross the border illegally -- are usually then allowed to remain in the country indefinitely as long as they claim to be seeking asylum. And the overwhelming majority of such asylum cases are rejected ultimately.
It's arguably worse than an open border because it's the non-citizens who try to follow the law who enter the country at a slower pace whereas those who break the law to get in gain entry more quickly.
This lame delivery of Democratic talking points disguised as journalism was sponsored in part by Febreze. Their contact information is linked.
Transcript follows:
CNN Newsroom
March 14, 2021
6:44 p.m. Eastern
PAMELA BROWN: So I want to read you something that you wrote in the Atlantic last month, and you hit on what you just said about Biden's policies. You said, "Biden's more humane policies have led to rumors that the U.S.-Mexico border is now essentially open both for asylum seekers who show up at ports of entry, and for others who cross unlawfully. Smugglers are eager to spread that idea. For the moment, the United States' humanitarian interest lies not just in showing kindness to those who reach the border, but also in stemming the flow of people who undertake the journey in the first place."
So in light of that, should the Biden administration be more forceful in its messaging to convey the border is not open?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes, I mean, and they continue to do so. And they -- one of the challenges, though, Pamela, to be clear here, is Republicans are going around saying that Biden is opening the border. So what that does is that is then echoed south -- everyone who wants to migrate hears that and thinks, "Oh, Biden's opened the border," and then they come. So part of it is the politics here is causing the migrant flow.
Biden said the exact opposite, in fact, and people would remember during the primary, President Biden was almost alone in going against his primary challengers in saying, "I don't want to decriminalize the border -- I recognize that we need a strong border." So you're getting this echo chamber from the politics here, and you mentioned that a bunch of Republicans are going down to the border saying, you know, wanting to use this tragedy for political purposes and saying the border is open...
. Duncan Schroeder
