Jean-Pierre Freezes Up When Asked If Border Is Secure After DeSantis Sends Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard

 White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to answer questions Thursday about whether the U.S. southern border is secure after Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis sent 50 illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

The question from a reporter came after Vice President Kamala Harris said during a news show over the weekend that the “border is secure.”

“But does the White House stand by those comments that the border is secure?” the reporter asked.

“What we stand by is that we’re doing everything that we can, uh, to make sure that, um, uh, that we follow the process that’s been put forth,” she said. “That’s why we have, uh, historic funding, uh, to do just that, to make sure that, um, uh — you know, uh, um, uh, to make sure that, um — to make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed, uh, or expelled.”

“Is the border secure, Karine?” the reporter pressed. “Is the border secure?”

“I’m just going to refer back to the vice president. We agree with her,” Jean-Pierre responded. “She is saying that there’s a lot of work to do. Right? She also said that in that very statement. We agree that the border is secure, but there is still more work to be done.”

WATCH:

TRANSCRIPT:

REPORTER: Okay.  And I want to ask you: On the topic of immigration, the Vice President said to my colleague, Chuck Todd, over the weekend, “The border is secure.”  She also caveated that to say we also have a broken immigration system and talked about the need to fix that.  But does the White House stand by those comments that the border is secure?

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE:  What we stand by is that we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that we follow the process that’s been put forth.  That’s why we have historic funding to do just that, to make sure that — you know, to make sure that — to make sure that the folks that we encounter at the border be removed or expelled.

And again, the facts are: More individuals encountered at the border will be removed or expelled this year than in any previous year.  But that’s the work that’s —

REPORTER:Is the border secure, Karine?

JEAN-PIERRE:  — that we have been doing.

REPORTER:Is the border secure?

JEAN-PIERRE:  I’m just going to refer back to the Vice President.  We agree with her.  She is saying that there’s a lot of work to do.  Right?  She also said that in that very statement.  We agree that the border is secure, but there is still more work to be done.