The Biden administration's border policies are "aiding and abetting" narcoterrorists, and the President Joe Biden is afraid to own the crisis because he's afraid of the left, Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said Thursday.
"This president is complicit," Arrington said during an appearance on Fox News.
"This administration's policies are aiding and abetting narcoterrorists. These are sophisticated, para-military organizations trafficking people, abusing and exploiting the most vulnerable people, using children as passports to come to this country, and for one reason: because this administration is not enforcing the laws, they're not securing the border, and they don’t intend to.
"They don't have a plan, and they've created this unprecedented, unmitigated crisis that I got to see firsthand, and if the president made a trip to the border and saw it firsthand, he would have to own it. He's afraid to own it because the left is in charge. He's afraid of the left, and he won't be able to do anything about it. He's put the border czar in [Vice President] Kamala Harris, who's an open-borders advocate. It's insult to injury.
Harris was tasked last week with leading efforts to address migration to the southern border. Neither Biden nor Harris had visited the border during the crisis.
Arrington took a trip to the Texas towns of McAllen, Laredo, and Carrizo Springs this week to see how the Biden administration was responding to the situation.
"Instead of detaining, deporting, and respecting the laws of this land and securing our border, we are releasing and reward," Arrington said. "It's sending a message — 'Come one, come all. It's a free for all at the border.'"
More than 17,000 migrant children are in custody with hundreds more crossing every day. In February, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported nearly 9,500 encounters with unaccompanied children, the most since 2019.
Biden has criticized former President Donald Trump's immigration strategy as being inhumane, and signed several executive orders soon after taking office to erase some of his predecessor's policies.
In late January, the White House announced it no longer would apply Title 42 to children crossing the border alone. Trump had implemented the policy, which relies on a 1944 public health statute to indefinitely close the border to "nonessential" travel in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Arrington said Biden needs to prioritize the American people.
"The first thing is to provide for the common defense of the American people, to provide for the general welfare of our citizens, and to faithfully execute the laws of the land," Arrington said. "That's the Constitution. That's the first thing we've got to do.
"Then what we've done to allow the illegal passage of people into our country has created this horrible disaster with the drug cartels and … the kids being recycled as a passport and a way to get into this country because that's the clear message that’s been sent by this administration."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.