Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt didn’t mince words when discussing the current border situation.
“It’s a disaster at the southern border,” Stitt said.
The governor expressed anger that the Biden administration authorized the selling of border wall material and is dismantling the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Stitt indicated the actions represented a crucial lapse in judgment.
The Remain in Mexico policy was instated by former President Trump and ensured that asylum-seekers remain in Mexico while their claims are being adjudicated in the United States.
The Oklahoman reported that on Monday, Stitt visited the “border city of Eagle Pass, Texas, near where a chain of buoys are floating in the Rio Grande. He joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, as well as four other Republican state chief executives, to discuss current border policies.”
Stitt’s strong condemnation of Biden administration border control measures echoes many pleading for more stringent border security measures. Notably, the Democratic-led cities of Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., and the state of Massachusetts are now pressing Biden for immigration assistance.
Stitt believed he was speaking for many when he declared, “We need to reinstate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy,” noting the policy serves as an effective bulwark against the unchecked flow of migrants into the United States.
“In my opinion, if you don’t have a brain, you don’t want to secure the border,” Stitt said.
The governor’s stance is clear and unapologetic. Stitt charged the Biden administration with having a lack of foresight in its approach to border security. The border policy remains a touchstone issue and will likely significantly impact the 2024 election — thus moving some Democrats, such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams, to distance themselves from Biden administration border policies.
Fox News included an excerpt from a transcript of Stitt’s statement:
We don’t understand why they keep doubling down on this. The material is already there on the border. Americans want a secure border. And I like to remind people this has nothing to do with proper immigration.
In Oklahoma, we have a great Hispanic population, and they’ve come here legally, and they’re great contributors to our society. I’ve got great friends. But you don’t have a brain if you don’t think that we should have a secure border.
The amount of terrorist people on the terrorist watch list that have crossed – we’re creating this mass migration because they know they get released into the U.S. with all of our services as soon as they get there.
So that’s the problem. We need to go back to the “Remain in Mexico” policy that we had before President Biden was in office.
Conservatives have argued that nations that do not guard their borders do so at their own peril. Some point to the ongoing chaos in France as being directly tied to open immigration policies.
The border issue will likely be a prominent discussion point in the upcoming GOP primary debates.
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