This afternoon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki attempted to draw a distinction between “kids in cages” under Donald Trump and “kids in cages” under Joe Biden. Basically, her point was that it “is not kids being kept in cages” when Joe Biden does it.
Psaki failed to make a compelling argument, but at least she’s in good company:
No, Biden's new border move isn't "kids in cages" https://t.co/iVOBc0BUiC
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) February 23, 2021
It’s not? Could’ve fooled us!
Yes, it literally is https://t.co/w5cg1HtULX
— I got your #Unity right here (@jtLOL) February 23, 2021
It's not a cage. They are merely held in shipping containers which, I should stress, are not cages. It's like Monica in The Expanse.
— Ben@msys (@BenSearsMSYS) February 23, 2021
They can check out any time they like, but they can never leave https://t.co/CVNfTV78N4
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) February 23, 2021
It actually is, but thanks for playing. You don't get a prize. You don't even get the crappy home version of the game. You are a complete loser. https://t.co/YPBD5DcfJa
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) February 23, 2021
No! It’s totally different because reasons:
Many children arrive at the border as unaccompanied minors, leading to difficult decisions about what to do with them. Many are seeking to be united with family members already in the United States. But some aren’t, and they can’t be released without an adult sponsor taking custody. Releasing them to the wrong person leads to all kinds of problems; in 2014, for instance, there was an uproar after traffickers took some teens who were released to go work on an egg farm.
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When conservatives raised concerns about trafficking while liberals decried CBP and ICE ripping children away from their parents, their concerns were dismissed. Now it’s OK to worry about trafficking again.
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The Biden administration has many problems to deal with on the border, for a variety of reasons. Part of the reason for the current surge in both families and unaccompanied minors arriving without authorization appears to be its softer approach to enforcement, which gives border-crossers more hope that they’ll be allowed into the country.
These issues will surely test the president in the months and years to come. But suggesting that this is at all akin to what Trump did with children on the border — or that the media is soft-pedaling what the Biden administration is doing — just doesn’t add up.
The Biden administration has many problems to deal with! These issues will surely test the president!
Let’s all remember who the real victim is here: Joe Biden and his administration.
Now don’t you dare suggest that the media are being soft on the president.
The firefighters are at it again… https://t.co/b9wboo0HoP pic.twitter.com/Fd0MifDKxC
— John (@Bearcat50) February 23, 2021
The press just doing their thing. https://t.co/spnhI4zHdY
— Colin Duffy (@TheRightDuff) February 23, 2021
Our terrible political media is still terrible. https://t.co/HXClcu9lKR
— Ken Gardner (@KenGardner11) February 23, 2021
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