White House blames Republicans, Texas Gov. Abbott, after migrants attack Guard members, storm border

The White House on Friday blamed Republicans and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when asked about the reaction to the chaotic scene a day earlier, when more than 100 migrants were filmed bursting through razor wire along the southern border to get into Texas.

"What does President Biden think should happen to adult men who are assaulting and overpowering U.S. National Guardsmen?" Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

She said the Biden administration was "grateful" that U.S. Border Patrol agents were able to get the situation under control in El Paso, Texas, before blaming Abbott for his hardline border policies.

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"They were able to do their job even though Republicans, Gov. Abbott in particular, has made it difficult for them," she said. "You have a governor, Gov. Abbott, who is politicizing it."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Abbott's office. 

Jean-Pierre also blamed Senate Republicans for not supporting bipartisan border legislation to shore up more resources to combat the influx of illegal immigrants. 

Video footage published by the New York Post, shows dozens of adult males ripping away razor wire that had been set up by the state and charging past Texas National Guard members. They then ran toward a section of border wall, where they were blocked from entering further. 

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"This video does not show helpless women and children begging for a safe place to come in. It shows adult men landing haymakers on U.S. troops in uniform. If that was happening anywhere else in the world, wouldn't President Biden send reinforcements?" asked Doocy.

Jean-Pierre noted that everyone was apprehended by border agents but couldn't say if they were deported. 

"The governor of Texas put the Texas National Guard there. We didn't put them there. He put them there. What we need is actual real solutions," she said. 

Abbott has taken an strong position on illegal immigrants in his state. Texas is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Biden administration over a state law that would make illegal immigration a state crime. Texas has also bused thousands of migrants to Democratic strongholds like New York and Chicago, and has tightened security on its border with Mexico. 

"The mental gymnastics from the Biden Administration are astonishing," Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News Digital in a statement. "[Thurday’s] surge in El Paso is the direct result of the unsustainable chaos President Biden has unleashed on the border. 

"Texas will continue to utilize every tool and strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings as President Biden’s dangerous open border policies encourage migrants from over 150 countries to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry."

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that there were 189,922 migrant encounters at the southern border in February, the highest for the month ever recorded. 

The Border Patrol apprehended 140,644 illegal immigrants last month, the second-highest in February ever recorded for the agency, behind 159,170 in February of fiscal year 2022. 

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.