White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's comment during a Monday press briefing that "you've seen [illegal immigration] come down 90%" was met with incredulity on "Outnumbered" on Tuesday.
Jean-Pierre said during the briefing the Biden administration deals with the immigration system "in a humane way [and] a way that actually deals with what we're seeing at the border."
"And that's why you've seen the parolee program be so successful. It has. It has. It has," she said. "When it comes to illegal immigration, you've seen it come down by more than 90%. And that's because of the actions that this president has taken. But we know that more action needs to be taken."
Jean-Pierre said Congress is responsible to take actions further than what she claimed President Biden has done thus far, saying the issue is "important to this president."
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"Outnumbered" co-host Emily Compagno on Tuesday asked rhetorically what "fantasy land" Jean-Pierre is living in. Co-host Kayleigh McEnany noted a conservative writer dubbed the statement "perhaps the biggest lie from the White House podium thus far."
"II have to agree because we have the data. [Jean-Pierre] knows the data. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call Mayorkas," she said.
Citing Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins, McEnany said there were 1.3 million illegal crossings in 2022 and in fiscal year 2023, there have been already more than that thus far.
"That's an increase of 136,000 and some change at a time when we are already at historic records for illegal border crossings. So she knows this. But my question is, where are the fact-checkers? … The fact-checkers are asleep right now. They need to wake up," McEnany said.
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McEnany said Jean-Pierre's claim is akin to the claim that Republicans support defunding law enforcement, despite many liberals and left-wing groups voicing that mantra for several years.
"She also said Republicans want to defund Border Patrol. And then there's this whopper: Republicans are fighting to put fentanyl on the streets -- Do you know a single Republican that wants children to die and is fighting to put fentanyl on the streets? That is what she said. I'll leave it to the viewers to characterize that as lie or truth," said McEnany, who served as White House press secretary under President Trump.
Co-host Katrina Campins said Democratic mayors are now feeling the effects of Biden's lax immigration policies, noting how some are speaking out publicly about it.
"We know that this is not only a Republican or Democratic issue," she said, going on to discuss a recent experience that showed her the magnitude of the issue firsthand:
"Last week when I came in for a premiere, I arrived at the airport and I saw all the migrants on the floor: women; children. And that's when it hit me," Campins said.
"It was kind of like an ‘aha!’ moment because we talk about it so much, but it's very different to actually see it and see people suffering."
