Trump Got It Right on Immigration, Biden’s Policies Hurt [WATCH]

Former Obama administration official Steve Rattner admitted that President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the U.S. southern border situation is not without merit, acknowledging that illegal immigration significantly increased during the Biden-Harris administration.

Rattner made these remarks during a Thursday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where he presented a chart detailing border crossings under Joe Biden’s tenure.

Trump has consistently promised a massive deportation effort to target illegal immigrants if he is elected for a second term in 2024.

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As part of his campaign, he has frequently pointed to the surge in illegal border crossings during the Biden administration as evidence of the current administration’s failure to secure the border.

Rattner, speaking with MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire, referred to the data and conceded, “The border was not Biden’s finest moment, frankly. You can see what happened here and Trump is not wrong when he talks about how border crossings were quite low.”

Rattner further explained that border crossings were about 74,000 per month when Trump left office, but they surged after Biden took office, with some months approaching 300,000 illegal crossings.

“They were running about 74,000 a month when he left office. And they, in fact, did shoot up. Some of it was some things Biden said and some ways that they put a moratorium, for example, on deportations,” Rattner said.

Despite the dramatic rise in illegal crossings, Rattner pointed out that numbers have come down since peaking under Biden’s watch, although they still remain significantly higher than when Trump was in office. “But in fact, we did get up here almost to 300,000 a month,” he continued.

“But what maybe people don’t entirely know is that border crossings have come back down almost to where they were under Trump. They’re running at about 100,000 at the moment. So we went up the hill and we went down the hill. But unfortunately, that was pretty costly.”

MSNBC Admits Trump Was Right About Immigration, Biden ‘Was Pretty Costly’

Former Obama administration official Steve Rattner admitted that President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the U.S. southern border situation is not without merit, acknowledging that illegal immigration… pic.twitter.com/XiLm5Xz2sj

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While Rattner acknowledged the late improvements under Biden, Trump has continued to highlight the ongoing challenges with illegal immigration, particularly pointing to high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Trump’s campaign has included mentions of crimes committed by individuals who crossed the border illegally, such as the murders of Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, and Jocelyn Nungaray, among others.

The former president has also focused on the struggles faced by communities, such as Springfield, Ohio, which saw an influx of over 20,000 Haitian migrants.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly claimed that the border is secure, despite the rising numbers of illegal crossings.

Mayorkas’ statements about border security have faced significant criticism, particularly as figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have shown millions of illegal immigrants encountered by Border Patrol since the start of fiscal year 2021.

In light of the escalating border crisis, Trump has doubled down on his promises to address illegal immigration by implementing strict enforcement measures.

He has framed the issue as a matter of national security, and his plan includes increasing deportations and securing the border as central components of his 2024 campaign.

The situation continues to evolve as lawmakers and law enforcement agencies grapple with the challenges posed by illegal immigration and the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of border security.

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