Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy once again engaged in a chaotic back-and-forth with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as the question-and-answer session became heated over the ongoing illegal migrant crisis.Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden immediately reversed the majority of his predecessor’s strict immigration and border enforcement policies, which Republicans say has led to historic levels of illegal crossings and smuggling of drugs like fentanyl that are killing nearly 100,000 Americans a year.
Doocy was preparing to ask a question about the arrival of thousands of illegal migrants at Eagle Pass, Texas, this week, but Jean-Pierre countered with a question of her own, leading to the tense exchange, with her shouting before finally moving on to other reporters:
DOOCY: So, what do you call it here at the White House when 10,000 people illegally cross the border in a single day?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what do you call it, Peter, when GOP puts forth a — wait, no —
DOOCY: Asking are you —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no, no, no, no, you can’t —
DOOCY: Karine —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m answering.
Okay, we’re going to move on.
DOOCY: You’re answering a question —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no, no —
DOOCY: — with a question.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no —
DOOCY: Okay.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no — no, no, no. We’re moving on.
DOOCY: Karine, please —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We’re moving. In the back. Go ahead.
Jean-Pierre got a number of questions regarding the ongoing migrant crisis, some of which she did answer:
Q: The administration said yesterday it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. At the same time, the city of Eagle Pass in the Rio Grande has announced a state of emergency because of immigrants surge. Is there any concern that the timing of this Venezuelan TPS announcement might exacerbate what’s happening in Eagle Pass right now? And — and, you know, essentially, is this going to make the situation in Eagle Pass worse?