Fox News host Martha MacCallum pressed a Democratic strategist on Wednesday during a back-and-forth over what action President Joe Biden should take to address illegal immigration.
Biden said Monday he does not plan to take executive action to secure the border, and that he is counting on Congress to pass legislation regarding the matter, Fox News reported. MacCallum pressed Democratic strategist Richard Fowler on the issue, insisting for him to “answer [her] question.”
“He’s the president of — the most powerful individual in the world. He’s the leader of the free world,” MacCallum responded. “He has a massive security problem that is coming across the southern border and he does have things he can do. So what if they turn around and sue him the next day? At least he can say ‘I’m the president, I’m not going to allow this anymore and I’m going to do what I can do.’ Why doesn’t he, Richard? That’s my question? Why doesn’t he?”
“I do not deny the fact that something has to be done on our southern border,” Fowler responded. “I also know that we are not a dictatorship, we are a democracy, we are three branches of government.”
MacCallum asserted that Fowler is “not going to answer my question,” to which he insisted that he was.
“I believe that the president should act,” Fowler responded. “The thing the president should do is send a bill to the United States Congress and the United States Congress should update our immigration laws.”
“You’re not going to answer. I don’t know why,” MacCallum interrupted. “I’m so curious. I’d love to know what you actually think. I guess you’re not going to tell me.”
WATCH:
Republicans have increased their criticism of Biden’s handling of illegal immigration after the murder of nursing student Laken Riley. Riley’s alleged killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra was an immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. (RELATED: Trump Says He Spoke To Laken Riley’s Parents, Bashes Biden For Not ‘Saying Her Name’)
Border Patrol agents encountered approximately 2 million migrants along the southern border in fiscal year 2023, following 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022 and 1.6 million in fiscal year 2021, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection.
Harold Hutchison on March 13, 2024