NBC Downplays Border Crisis & Fails to Mention Biden, CBS Ignores

December 12th, 2022 8:36 PM

On Sunday, a staggering 1,000 illegal immigrants flooded across the U.S. border in the latest escalation of the Biden border crisis. Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin said it was “the biggest single group we have ever seen during our border coverage crossed illegally into El Paso, Texas,” yet Monday's NBC Nightly News downplayed the crisis, dedicating a scant 23 seconds to the story while failing to mention President Joe Biden or Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 

Worse yet, NBC had a sitdown interview with Mayorkas in the very next segment on the topic of anti-Semitism and never brought up the border.

Monday's ABC World News Tonight wasn’t much better. They ran a longer segment with correspondent Matt Rivers reporting on the ground from the border. However, just like NBC, they failed to mention Biden or Mayorkas whose policies have led to this crisis. CBS Evening News ignored to border altogether in favor of a segment on winter snow storms that are forecast to take place across the country. 

Despite their attempt to shield the Biden administration from blame, even ABC’s correspondent Matt Rivers was shocked at the chaos and lawlessness at the border remarking: “I've never seen anything quite like this.”

He added that border officials have told him that, “they are at capacity and have to send migrants elsewhere along the border. Unauthorized border crossings in El Paso are now averaging more than 2,400 arrests and detainments per day.”

 

 

Before the handoff back to anchor David Muir, Rivers reported that “the deputy city manager of El Paso says federal help is desperately needed in his city, saying, quote, we could see up to thousands a day passing through our community.”  Even when mentioning El Paso’s desperate pleas for “federal help” Rivers still couldn’t bring himself to mention Biden’s name. 

Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt could only muster this brief 23-second news brief on the Biden border crisis: 

Now to warning signs of a new migrant surge at the border. In El Paso, Texas the border patrol reporting an average of more than 2,400 daily illegal border crossings there, including a caravan of 1,000 migrants entering the U.S. just yesterday. There has been a record 2.4 million legal border—illegal border crossings over the last year. 

You’ll notice there’s not one mention of Biden, Mayorkas, or anyone in the administration. NBC is working overtime to shield Biden from any blame for this catastrophe at the border. 

The evening newscasts weren’t alone. All three of the network morning shows ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and NBC’s Today also ignored the over 1,000 illegals crossing the border. 

The disgraceful coverage of the Biden border crisis from the “big three” networks was made possible by Fidelity on ABC, Liberty Mutual on CBS, and Progressive on NBC. Their information is linked. 

To read the relevant transcripts click “expand”:

ABC’s World News Tonight
12/12/2022
6:42:02 p.m. Eastern 

DAVID MUIR: We're going to turn now to the southern border and to the growing lines and the growing concern. The new images coming in tonight. Hundreds of migrants crossing into the U.S., carrying children across the Rio Grande to reach El Paso, Texas. Tonight, amid high numbers already, what's driving this newest surge? And why authorities warn it might soon get worse. ABC's Matt Rivers on the border for us tonight. 

MATT RIVERS: These are the scenes in the shadow of downtown El Paso. Hundreds of migrants crossing the Rio Grande in a matter of hours overnight. Many forced to spend the night on the river bank burning whatever they could find for warmth. There are hundreds of people lined up on the other side of this river here. I've been coming to this exact spot in Ciudad Juarez for years now covering migration. 

I've never seen anything quite like this. Border patrol officials telling ABC News they are at capacity and have to send migrants elsewhere along the border. Unauthorized border crossings in El Paso are now averaging more than 2,400 arrests and detainments per day. Today, adults carrying children through the river. This ahead of next week's possible end of title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows for the immediate expulsion of migrants without allowing them to seek asylum.

[...]

6:43:39 p.m. Eastern

RIVERS: And David, the deputy city manager of El Paso says federal help is desperately needed in his city, saying, quote, we could see up to thousands a day passing through our community. Nobody can keep up with that. David? 

NBC Nightly News
12/12/2022
7:05:56 p.m. Eastern 

LESTER HOLT: Now to warning signs of a new migrant surge at the border. In El Paso, Texas the border patrol reporting an average of more than 2,400 daily illegal border crossings there, including a caravan of 1,000 migrants entering the U.S. just yesterday. There has been a record 2.4 million legal border—illegal border crossings over the last year.