On Tuesday (Feb. 13), CNN host Brianna Keilar got into a heated debate with Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) over the Biden Administration’s handling of the US-Mexico Border. Keilar grew frustrated over Van Duyne’s repeated interruptions, so she decided to put an end to it. Here’s everything you need to know about what went down!
Who Is Rep. Beth Van Duyne?
Rep. Beth Van Duyne is a congresswoman who currently represents the 24th Congressional District of Texas. She served as the Mayor of Irving, TX, between 2011 and 2017, and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 – she assumed office in Jan. 2021.
She is a heavy supporter of Donald Trump, having served as an official in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during his first term. She voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and is a member of the Trump campaign’s Texas leadership team.
Van Duyne Talks To CNN About Mayorkas Impeachment
Alright, now let’s get to the heated exchange. It all went down on Tuesday (Feb.13) when CNN had Van Duyne on their show – Brianna Keilar was the one asking questions. The conversation began with Keilar pressuring Van Duyne about her stance on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
For those who don’t know, the Republicans are currently trying to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for allegedly ignoring immigration laws – arguing that his handling of the US-Mexico has compromised national security and resulted in American deaths.
Keilar And Van Duyne Argue About House Resolution 2
House Resolution 2 was passed by the Republicans in the House, but never made it through the Democratic Senate. Keilar was confused because Van Duyne said they didn’t need new immigration laws, yet were trying to pass a new immigration law (House Resolution 2).
Van Duyne argued that HR 2 was designed to prevent the Biden Administration from ignoring current immigration laws – which are good laws, but aren’t being followed. Van Duyne mainly blamed Mayorkas for blatantly ignoring laws, which is why she supports his impeachment.
The Argument Shifts To Mayorkas’ ‘Catch And Release’ Program
Van Duyne brought up Mayorkas’ ‘catch and release’ program, which allows illegal immigrants into the country while they await their hearing – as opposed to detaining them. Van Duyne – like most Republicans – is heavily against this program and believes it’s doing more harm than good.
She continued her attack on Mayorkas by accusing him of issuing ‘mass paroles’ – despite the law explicitly stating that paroles are to be issued on a case-by-case basis. Combined with his ‘catch and release’ program, Van Duyne is blaming Mayorkas for the deaths of ‘tens of thousands of Americans.’
Keilar Questions Van Duyne About Her Death Comment
A confused Keilar asked Van Duyne to clarify how Mayorkas’ actions are leading to American deaths. Her answer? Fentanyl poisoning that’s coming into the US through the Mexico border. As a result, deaths are rising, and crime is up in cities all across the country.
For some context, Van Duyne is absolutely right that fentanyl is coming in through the border, but it’s not coming in by way of illegal immigrants. In fact, the vast majority of fentanyl is entering the country by way of American citizens, who are smuggling it into the US. Keilar brought this up, but Van Duyne wasn’t hearing it.
Keilar Raises Point About Criminal Conviction Rates
Further in the conversation, Keilar brought up a statistic that debunked Van Duyne’s theory that illegal immigrants are increasing crime in the US. She used a statistic from Irving, TX – the area Van Duyne represents – that shows immigrants aren’t the problem when it comes to crime.
“Illegal immigrants’ criminal conviction rate is 45 percent below that of native-born Americans in your state, just to be clear,” Keilar said, “I mean, when it comes to violent crimes, property crimes, homicides, sex crimes, you’ve talked in the past about rapes – the numbers just don’t support that.”
Keilar Threatens To End Interview After Being Interrupted
Keilar then turned the conversation back to ‘catch and release.’ She argued that we have to focus on what’s causing the problem. Van Duyne started to interrupt her, but Keilar asked her to let her finish. She also brought up the bipartisan deal that Republicans recently struck down – which would’ve solved a lot of the problem.
That’s when Van Duyne started interrupting Keilar again. The two were talking over one another for several seconds before Keilar had enough. “Ma’am, may I please speak, or I’m going to have to cut this interview off,” she said. The Representative agreed, and the conversation continued.
Senate Releases Their Own, Bipartisan Immigration Bill
The bipartisan deal that Brianna Keilar was talking about was introduced by the Senate on Feb. 4. It was supported by both the Majority Leader (Chuck Schumer) and Minority Leader (Mitch McConnell), and would’ve tightened up the way the government handled the US-Mexico border crisis.
Not only that, but the bill would’ve sent crucial foreign aid to a number of countries, including Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and the Asia-Pacific. The problem, ironically, was it didn’t have support from Republicans in the House. In fact, the bill was determined ‘dead upon arrival’ by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Neither Side Wants To Give The Other A Political Win
Congress, as always, is in a bit of a stalemate right now. Both the Republicans and Democrats are introducing new legislation addressing the border crisis, but the Democrats can’t get through the House and the Republicans can’t get through the Senate – highlighting one of the many challenges that come with having a two-party system.
It’s clear something needs to be done about the border crisis, but neither side wants the other side to get credit for it. As a result, it’s possible that we don’t see any new legislation passed for several months. Unfortunately, that means the crisis will only continue to grow worse.
