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Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley recently went viral after repeatedly insisting that the American "border is secure." In a Wednesday, September 27, interview with CNN host Jake Tapper, Pressley stood by her statement that the border was secure despite claiming that there was an ongoing humanitarian crisis. During the interview, the Massachusetts Rep. refused to provide a straight answer to Tapper's question.
Ayanna Pressley's statements come at a time when border security concerns are skyrocketing, with Massachusetts and Texas declaring a state of emergency due to the large influx of migrants in the past two months. Thus, Pressley's statement was not taken kindly by social media users who criticized her for allegedly lying.
Netizens express make fun of Ayanna Pressley as they roasted her for allegedly lying
As is evident from the above fan reaction, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley's refusal to provide a direct answer, while contradicting her points, did not sit well with netizens.
Social media users trolled the representative and claimed that she was lying as they criticized her entire claims. Under wiredog369's Reddit post of the interview on the r/Conservative subreddit, many users shared their opinions on the matter.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley insisted that the US border has been secure in a recent interview with Jake Tapper
On September 27, CNN host Jake Tapper questioned Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the border crisis. Tapper asked Pressley if something needed to be done concerning the border crisis while pointing out the omission of additional border security funding in the forthcoming bipartisan senate bill. The Massachusetts Rep. replied:
"No doubt about it, our border is secure, and we are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, and we have to fix a broken system."
She was interrupted by Jake Tapper, who asked her to clarify whether she thought the border was secure or not. Pressley reiterated her comments on being in the midst of a humanitarian crisis and further stated that there needed to be federal investments to support migrant families. She rounded up both points again and claimed that it was a consequence of "long-standing broken policies."
Tapper did not disagree with her statements on the issue being a humanitarian crisis but once again asked Ayanna Pressley for clarification if she indeed thought that the border was secure. The latter replied in the affirmative and continued to further reinstate her previous points, further saying that a government shutdown would lead to a dire situation for millions of families. She stated:
"Yes, the border is secure, and we’re in the midst of a humanitarian crisis that has been created by a broken system."
Jake Tapper, who was confused by her replies, further probed:
"But if you have millions of undocumented migrants coming into the country, how is the border secure?"
Pressley did not directly answer the question but instead stated that it was not a new crisis that required "more political will and commitment" and reiterated that this was a humanitarian crisis and that it needed to be treated as such. She further talked about her work as chair of the House Haiti caucus and the need for federal support for community-based organizations. She said:
"I’m not disagreeing with anything you’re saying, except for the idea that the border is secure. If you have people crossing the border, it’s just by definition not secure."
Tapper further pointed out that due to the border being "so porous," millions of people make an unsafe journey to arrive at the country. She stated that millions of vulnerable people pay money to dangerous "coyotes" to help them cross into the country.
However, Tapper argued that the border being secure might discourage such dangerous journeys and may force asylum seekers to enter legally. He said:
"It just seems like just such a refusal to acknowledge reality to say that the border is secure when we all know millions of people are crossing the border illegally every year."
The Massachusetts Rep. stated that this was a consequence of several things. She talked about "climate refugees" destabilized by "weather events" and those that were fleeing from violence and corruption. She then stated that there needs to be an acknowledgment of why people were fleeing their native countries.
Pressley said that asylum was a human right and once again talked about the potential Republican government shutdown and how immigrant lives were being played with for political gain after they've already left a dangerous country.
Tapper, although agreeing with her points, pointed out that in her argument, Pressley had acknowledged that millions of people were crossing the border illegally. He asked:
"Would you grant me the point that the border is not secure?"
Rep. Ayanna Pressley replied:
"Jake, that is a conversation for another day."
Last month, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency due to a massive influx of illegal immigrants entering the state. Shelters overflowed with migrants, some of them flown in from other states seeking shelter in Massachusetts, a state that is already plagued by the rising costs of its very limited housing.
On September 21, 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency after 4,000 illegal immigrants entered the country via the state's Eagle Pass crossing, leaving Eagle Pass' only migrant shelter at an overwhelming capacity. Abbott also accused the Biden administration of cutting the razor wire installed by the state of Texas at Eagle Pass to deter illegal immigrants.
