Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker doesn't believe the chaos at the United States-Mexico border can be solved with a bipartisan immigration reform bill that essentially serves as an extension of the Obama-era "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals," or DACA program — which temporarily shielded illegal immigrants from deportation and made them eligible for work permits.
"DACA is the reason that all these unaccompanied minors" are illegally crossing the southern border. "They hope to qualify for that program," Whitaker told Newsmax Friday afternoon, while appearing on "John Bachman Now" with hosts John Bachman and Bianca de la Garza.
"This is the legacy of [President Barack] Obama, and [President] Joe Biden's trying to deliver on that," said Whitaker, while adding "it's going to be bad for the American people."
The rumors of a "bipartisan" immigration reform bill reportedly have Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. attached to the speculative legislation — five Republican senators who will be vacating their seats at the end of December.
"These bipartisan immigration reform packages are always fraught with peril," lamented Whitaker, who's currently promoting a book entitled, "Above The Law: The Inside Story of How The Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump."
Whitaker then added, "The last time" Republicans tried to work with Democrats on bipartisan immigration reform, "we got blanket amnesty."
More than 5 million immigrants have illegally entered the country since President Biden took office in January 2021. As such, Whitaker finds it laughable that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas publicly maintains the southern border is "secure."
"In no definition of that word is the border 'secure,'" said Whitaker, while adding the Trump administration had given the Biden White House a road map for success with handling the border, in terms of enforcing the Title 42 health order and implementing the "Safe Third Country" agreement and "Remain In Mexico" policy.
However, "the Biden administration is doing quite the opposite," said Whitaker.
Border facilities housing migrants are "over capacity" right now, said Whitaker. The same goes for the "hotel" the U.S. government took over, as a means of housing immigrants.
"That hotel room is disgusting," said Whitaker, while referencing a Newsmax video about the disrepair of the hotel quarters. "No one should have to live like that."
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