Democrats could hold former President Donald Trump responsible for chaotic scenes at the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, when migrants tore down fencing in El Paso, Texas, because of his role in torpedoing a bipartisan Senate immigration bill this year, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said.
Footage of dozens of migrants pushing through a security fence and Texas National Guard soldiers went viral on Thursday, with a clip recorded by New York Post reporter Jennie Taer receiving more than 16.2 million views on X, formerly Twitter.
On his Morning Joe show, Scarborough said Democrats can claim “it’s all Donald Trump’s fault” and quoted the former president saying people should “blame it on me” that the bill failed in January.
At the beginning of the year, a group of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate agreed a $118 billion bill that would strengthen security on the southern border, tighten the eligibility for receiving asylum in the U.S. and provide foreign aid to U.S. allies including Ukraine and Israel.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/HERIKA MARTINEZ/GETTY
However, the legislation was fiercely opposed by Republican hardliners, including Trump, who argued that it was insufficiently radical. Speaker Mike Johnson said the legislation would be “dead on arrival” in the House.
At a campaign event, Trump took personal credit for the legislation failing, saying: “A lot of the senators are trying to say respectfully they’re blaming it on me. I say that’s OK, please blame it on me, please. Because they were getting ready to pass a very bad bill.”
Scarborough, a former House Republican, suggested Democrats turn Trump’s words against him and argue that his opposition to the bill means he is now responsible for the ongoing border crisis.
Scarborough held up a New York Post cover showing migrants pushing their way through the National Guard, with the headline “Onslaught.” He admitted this “would normally hurt Democrats” before saying: “If I were a Democrat running for office, I would be carrying this around all day.”
Quoting what he thought a Democratic candidate should say, Scarborough continued: “The only thing The Post didn’t tell you is Donald Trump said blame me for this. Donald Trump said kill the bill and blame me for everything that happens after this point.
“Donald Trump said blame me, so yes, Donald, we’re blaming you, we’re blaming mini-me Mike Johnson for following your orders, we’re blaming Republicans who begged for a tough border bill, but like the Wall Street Journal editorial page said couldn’t take yes for an answer.
“So, yes, there is an onslaught on the southern border still and it’s all Donald Trump’s fault. You know who says that? Donald Trump. Donald Trump says blame him for this, so we will.”
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign for comment by email.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, 988,900 irregular migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between October and December 2023.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas Senate Bill 4, legislation signed into law in December by Governor Greg Abbott. However, just hours later, it was put on hold by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals pending an appeal of the initial federal ruling.
The legislation has sparked controversy because it would allow Texan law enforcement and National Guard to detain, then deport, suspected illegal migrants despite immigration traditionally being seen as a federal responsibility.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.