On ABC’s This Week, during her interview with Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, co-moderator Martha Raddatz suggested that Republican messaging on the border is what’s causing the massive influx of migrants pouring across the southern border. According to Raddatz, Republicans stating aloud the fact that the border isn’t secured, is the reason for the border crisis, not the fact that the border is unsecured.
“You talk about the border wall, you talk about open borders, I don't think I've ever heard President Biden say, we have an open border come on over,” Raddatz said.
“But people I have heard say it are you, are former President Trump, Ron DeSantis, that message reverberates in Mexico and beyond. So they do get the message that it is an open border and smugglers use all those kinds of statements,” Raddatz ridiculously claimed.
This is obviously absurd. Former President Trump, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott can proclaim the border to be open, but if it wasn’t, migrants would be unable to get into the United States in the numbers that they are.
Abbott corrected Raddatz’s clownish comments:
It was known from the time that Joe Biden got elected that Joe Biden supported open borders. It's known by the cartels who have sophisticated information whether or not the Biden administration is going to enforce the immigration laws or not is known across the world but most importantly known among the cartels.
Undeterred, Raddatz continued to suggest that Abbott has any responsibility for the crisis at the border by asking “how do you play into that? What can you do better?”
Abbott responded that “we have every level of government doing everything we can to prevent people from coming into the country illegally, or are repelling them or are arresting them and putting them behind bars.”
ABC’s Martha Raddatz suggesting Republican messaging is responsible for the border crisis was made possible by Fisher Investments. Their information is linked.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
ABC’s This Week
12/18/2022
9:09:25 a.m. EasternMARTHA RADDATZ: You talk about the border wall, you talk about open borders, I don't think I've ever heard President Biden say, we have an open border come on over, but people I have heard say it are you, are former President Trump, Ron DeSantis, that message reverberates in Mexico and beyond, so they do get the message that it is an open border and smugglers use all those kinds of statements.
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT: It was known from the time that Joe Biden got elected that Joe Biden supported open borders. It's known by the cartels who have sophisticated information whether or not the Biden administration is going to enforce the immigration laws or not is known across the world but most importantly known among the cartels.
RADDATZ: How do you play into that? What can you do better?
ABBOTT: So we have every level of government doing everything we can to prevent people from coming into the country illegally, or are repelling them or are arresting them and putting them behind bars.
