Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla) and CNN’s Don Lemon got into an on-air heated spat over President Joe Biden’s mishandling of the border, criticizing one another’s opinion.
During Lemon’s new early morning show, Donalds slammed Biden’s border measures, which would allow 30,000 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, or Nicaraguans into the U.S. monthly as long as they enter the country at a legal point of entry and have a sponsor.
He said that this will do nothing to help the problem. Instead, Donalds insisted that these measures will just “relocate” the issue, claiming Biden is trying to “shift the burden.”
However, Lemon defended the president’s plan.
“The president put out a plan, wouldn't a better response be, well we don't agree with this, but we'd like to take this framework and work on it and try and make it better—rather than just saying it's not great, this isn't going to work?” Lemon asked.
Donalds interjected citing numbers on border crossings, adding that Biden’s executive orders on illegal migration have led to increases in people crossing the border into the U.S. in the past.
"You didn't answer my question," Lemon interrupted.
"I am," Donalds said, adding that Republicans would be happy to work with Biden on the border crisis, however, the president won’t even secure the border.
“We would love to work with the president. We would love to," Donalds said. "But you have to secure the border. You have to take care of the issues—.”
Lemon interrupted the Congressman once again, comparing him to GOP members who called out Biden during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Donalds was criticized by the host for fixating on a problem from the past and accusing the Republican of not looking forward while searching for solutions.
"I don't want to keep arguing with you and I want my colleagues to get in, but is there an answer instead of we don't want to look back that says moving forward, here's what we can do? Lemon asked.
In response, Donalds said that “moving forward, you have to give border agents the proper tools in order actually secure the border. The president has taken that from them. That's what he did.”
The congressman urged Biden to reinstate the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy and adjudicate asylum before someone reaches the border.
Since Biden has taken office, over 5 million illegal migrants have entered the U.S. In December, there was a record-breaking over 251,000 encounters, along with a record 2.3 million encounters and 600,000 gotaways in the fiscal year 2022.