Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg defended the Biden-Harris administration's handling of illegal immigration in a heated back-and-forth with Fox News' Shannon Bream on Sunday. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Buttigieg went on to argue that President Biden had only failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform thanks to former President Trump's intervention.
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"[Biden] wanted Congress to resolve [immigration] because that would have been more durable. But when Trump came in, talked Republicans out of their own bipartisan project because he didn't want the issue to get better. Remember, the worse things are at the border, the better things get for Donald Trump. So he has a vested interest in it remaining chaotic down there," Buttigieg said.
Migrants walk along the highway through Suchiate, Chiapas state in southern Mexico, Sunday, July 21, 2024, during their journey north toward the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
Buttigieg is one of many top Democrats who have jumped to defend Harris on her immigration policy since her rapid ascension as the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2024.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of "making up" the title of "border czar." His comments came just before six members of his House Democratic Caucus voted to criticize her handling of the migrant crisis.
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"We have a single legislative item that is on the floor today… it’s a fake and fraudulent resolution cooked up, I think, by one of the representatives from New York – continues to embarrass herself regularly – that lies about the vice president," Jeffries told reporters at his weekly press conference.
"She was never assigned the position of border czar. They're making that up, because the extreme MAGA Republicans are in full meltdown," he added.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/buttigieg-faces-grilling-harris-immigration-record-lets-get-real