White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the Biden administration has no plans to send migrant children back across the U.S.-Mexico border.
āChildren presenting at our border who are fleeing violence, who are fleeing prosecution, who are fleeing terrible situations, is not a crisis. We feel that it is our responsibility to humanely approach this circumstance and make sure they are treated withā¦ treated and put in conditions that are safe,ā Psaki said during Mondayās press briefing.
Psaki appeared to shift gears to discuss photos provided to Axios by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) showing the inside of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Texas.
āThese photos show what weāve long been saying which is that these border patrol facilities are not places made for children. They are not places that we want children to be staying for an extended period of time. Our alternative is to send children back on this treacherous journey. That is not, in our view, the right choice to make.ā
Watch part of Psakiās press briefing below:
During one of the press briefings last week, Psaki called the situation at the southern border a ācrisisā before walking it back after reporters pressed her on whether her comments acted as a change in the Biden administrationās view of the situation, as IJR reported.
āChallenges on the border,ā she clarified.
Psaki said the use of the word ācrisisā did not mean the administrationās view has changed.
Roberta Jacobson, the White Houseās southern border coordinator, told Reuters in an interview the Biden administration will be delivering a āmore aggressiveā message to migrants.
āWeāre going to be more aggressive, more agile about getting our message out, weāre going to try and combat the smugglersā messages and make sure that people understand the truth,ā Jacobson said.
She also stressed, āThe way to come to the United States is through legal pathways.ā
The administration said on Thursday the government has more than 14,000 migrant children in its custody.