As Republican legislators press President Joe Biden over a surge of immigrants at the US-Mexico border, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas attacked Biden on Twitter over his administration's "humane treatment of immigrants."
Cornyn posted a string of tweets on Monday describing how Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton had expressed opposition to illegal immigration. The Republican senator then said that Biden "has instead emphasized the humane treatment of immigrants, regardless of their legal status."
President Biden has instead emphasized the humane treatment of immigrants, regardless of their legal status.@nytimeshttps://t.co/5IuyZTXm6x
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) March 22, 2021
The comments drew criticism online, as some people questioned why Cornyn would portray humane treatment as a bad thing. Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia called Cornyn's attack an "incredible new low."
Seeing Republicans beside themselves with glee to capitalize politically on the situation at the border has been bad enough, but openly opposing "humane treatment of immigrants" is an incredible new low https://t.co/1KbIMPtvDe
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 22, 2021
Cornyn's press team did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Later Monday, Cornyn and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona sent a letter to the president asking for more executive action on migration at the border.
They specifically asked for more resources at border facilities and a streamlined asylum process to treat the mounting backlog in immigration cases.
.@JohnCornyn/@kyrstensinema joint letter to Pres. Biden: “Your administration should take immediate action in two areas: ensuring there are sufficient resources and facilities at the border to manage the crisis and taking concrete steps to improve the asylum process.” pic.twitter.com/TwRXjmJUu1
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) March 22, 2021
The Biden administration has faced scrutiny of its border policy as officials have reported a surge in child detentions at the border.
The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Health and Human Services were holding over 15,000 unaccompanied minors. CBP told Insider that it encountered 337 unaccompanied migrant children on average per day.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Biden addressed the number of migrants seeking to cross the border, telling Central American migrants not to come to the US.
"Yes, I can say quite clearly: Don't come over," Biden said, adding, "Don't leave your town or city or community."