Ex-talk show sensation Phil McGraw, famously known as “Dr. Phil,” took a stand at the Texas southern border last Friday, sharply criticizing President Biden and Vice President Harris for fueling what he calls an unprecedented “humanitarian crisis.”
In a video posted on X, McGraw emphasized that Texas law enforcement has seized more than 454 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl during the current turmoil. Governor Abbott asserts that this represents a breach of trust between the federal government and the states, accusing President Biden of not just failing to enforce the laws but actively violating them.
Dr. Phil didn’t mince words, saying that the U.S. is witnessing a humanitarian disaster like never before, with illegal immigration figures shattering records and squandering taxpayer money to dismantle Texas’s border defenses. He didn’t stop there, pointing out that Governor Abbott claims President Biden has lured thousands from 28 legal border entry points to risk the treacherous crossing of the Rio Grande. Touching on the escalating crisis, McGraw shed light on the massive influx of illegal immigrants and the ongoing legal tussle between Texas and the Biden administration.
He also shared staggering numbers to underline the issue: The Department of Homeland Security reports that since President Biden’s inauguration, over 6 million illegal immigrants have entered Texas from the southern border in just three years. That’s a number surpassing the populations of 33 U.S. states. As for Vice President Kamala Harris, McGraw then asks the camera if we know she was appointed immigration czar. He then asks, “Guess how many times she’s been to the border? Once.”
Things are getting serious.
DR. PHIL has arrived at the Southern Border and has called out the Biden Border Crisis.
Americans are dying because of Biden's incompetence… pic.twitter.com/xUqmJ3bJba
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) February 3, 2024
Dr. Phil’s visit comes after President Biden expressed his desire to have the power to “shut down” the border. Biden recently mentioned that both Democrats and Republicans are making significant headway on a legislative proposal that aims to introduce new security measures at the border. He highlighted that this bill would grant him, as the president, the emergency powers needed to close the border temporarily until it can be properly managed again.
At the “First in the Nation” dinner in South Carolina, Biden stated his willingness to immediately shut down the border and address its problems if the proposed legislation were already in place. Interestingly, he has taken nearly four years to voice this strong stance. The timing of his declaration, amid his re-election campaign and facing the potential candidacy of Donald Trump—who significantly appealed to voters with his “build the wall” slogan—suggests a strategic political move.
Furthermore, this stance emerges in the context of Congressional Republicans, especially those in the House, insisting that any financial aid for Ukraine must be paired with stricter immigration measures.
According to the CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), encounters with undocumented migrants reached a new peak in December, surpassing 300,000, with the majority occurring at the southwest border.
Based on two sources familiar with the negotiations, the currently discussed bill would compel the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to close the border if the daily average of migrant encounters exceeds 5,000 over seven days or if the number of crossings in a single day reaches 8,500. During a shutdown, a daily quota of 1,400 undocumented migrants would be permitted to cross legally through designated ports of entry. However, the restrictions would persist until the number of migrant encounters drops below 75% of the triggering figure and remains below that threshold for at least a week. Only then would DHS have a two-week window to gradually reopen the border. This stringent level of restriction could potentially keep the border closed for an extended period, as suggested by the sources.
A former DHS official and two current DHS officials say the U.S. would need Mexico’s cooperation to block asylum-seekers and shut down the border. Another administration official said that closing the border would cause chaos.
Perhaps Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said it best: “Why these propositions? Because there are elections! Once the elections pass, there’s another agenda.”
