In a recent episode of KLIF on January 9th, 2023, political strategist and former congressional candidate, Raven Harrison, provided a firsthand account of President Biden's visit to the U.S.-Mexico border. As a passionate advocate for border security, Harrison shed light on the sanitized and disheartening reality she witnessed during the trip. This article aims to summarize the key points discussed by Harrison during the broadcast.
KLIF January 9th, 2023 with Raven Harrison
DFW Morning News with Dave Williams and Amy Chodroff
During the KLIF broadcast on January 9th, 2023, Raven Harrison addressed the highly anticipated visit of President Biden to the U.S.-Mexico border. Harrison's passionate critique and detailed observations shed light on the stark reality deliberately concealed from the American people. The interview exposed an unsettling whitewashing attempt and a missed opportunity to confront the pressing issues at the border. In this article, we will delve into the insights shared by Harrison and explore the implications of this visit.
Transcript
- Amy Chodroff: President Biden finally traveled to the border. He visited El Paso on Sunday to assess enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border. It was his first trip to the border since taking office.
- Dave Williams: Yeah, we had nobody to talk to. I don't think he said anything at all about the Vice President. It was supposed to be her job, wasn't it?
- Amy: Yeah, she was fine, tried to find the root problem of immigration. Confirming with things like people like the President of Norway.
- Dave: Anyway.
- Amy: Political strategist and former congressional candidate Raven Harrison traveled to El Paso this weekend. She has a firsthand report of exactly what she saw. Good morning, Raven.
- Raven Harrison: Good morning.
- Amy: So where are you now? Are you back home?
- Raven: I'm back home. I'm back in Frisco, Texas.
- Amy: Oh, you're a fellow resident. So tell us how your trip was.
- Raven: Well, I have to honestly say, as trips go, that was the cleanest, most sanitized, most pointless visit by Biden I could have thought of. I would call that the best production of "Miracle on Montana Avenue" I've ever seen.
- Amy: Why did they sanitize things so much? I mean, they cleared migrant camps and they only brought them to certain locations.
- Raven: This was definitely a whitewashing and an attempt to pull the wool over the American people's eyes. It really doesn't take much to pull it over Biden's eyes. But the point is, the streets were cleared, the migrants were moved. The city looked—I honestly wish I'd gone to people's houses that I've known for 30 years whose houses weren't that clean. So, seeing that was absolutely despicable.
- I mean, this is the same city. El Paso saw 1,950 migrants come across the border in one day, and they declared a state of emergency and asked for federal funds. And then we see on display, you know, just that city cleaned up. I mean, they were ankle-deep two days before in migrants sleeping on the street, crime, phones being stolen, migrants in parking, public parking garages demanding money for parking. I mean, just absolutely, El Paso, the city of El Paso, should be ashamed of itself for putting on that kind of debacle.
- Dave: Well, our understanding was that the Border Patrol was tasked with cleaning things up. And we know that a lot of the agents there are livid after the president's visit and after the whitewash, as you described it. What were you able to see?
- Raven: The visit was very brief. It was, you know, him looking lost and then giving the official Rhino handshake to Mitch McConnell and others. But basically, it was pointless. He spoke about something about taking in 30 migrants if they seek entry in the designated ports, which they're supposed to do, i.e. follow our immigration laws. But essentially, it was very demoralizing. The city was clean, it looked like a tourist destination. The speech was brief and pointless. And accepting 30,000 the legal way per month, which we can't sustain, does not address the problem we have with them crawling over the border.
- Literally, he had two that were arrested from Venezuela minutes before the president got there for stealing a car and having an accident. And it's just an absolutely horrific display, and it was an opportunity to show the world how bad this policy was under his administration. I think Greg Abbott did, however, give him a letter outlining what the damage and the financial impact had been for Texans due to his failures at the border.
- Amy: I was going to ask you about that letter. He handed it to him. Do you think he handed it to his people after that? Do you think he even read it?
- Raven: Can he read? Okay, I'm going to stay with that for a little bit. Yes, I believe he handed it off to his people who promptly put it in the urgent pile or rubbish bin.
- Amy: I mean, Abbott was asked what the governor said to him, and he said, I mean, what the president said to him, and he replied, he said he wanted to work with us on it. Do you think he really does want to work with the state on it?
- Raven: I really don't. I feel like he wants to work with it to try to put a Democratic spin on this. But like you aptly mentioned, this was supposed to be Kamala. She was the border czar. She had made a visit. It took two years to make a visit. And I was there with a friend, Irene Jackson, whose husband is a border agent, and they're all saying the same thing. This is too little, too late. And he really didn't accomplish anything other than El Paso masking the problem and making it look like it's not as an existential threat as it is.
- Dave: Well, everything you're saying is the same as what we're reading about the president's brief visit yesterday. Thanks very much, Raven. We appreciate your time this morning.
- Raven: Well, I appreciate being here. I just want to give the people of El Paso and the ones listening that they were very demoralized and feeling that they didn't really get the attention they deserve. So we're going to keep fighting.
- Dave: All right. Good. Thank you so much. That was political strategist and former congressional candidate Raven Harrison.
Border Security Wrap-up
Despite the profound disappointment and frustration caused by President Biden's visit, Raven Harrison encouraged listeners to keep fighting for better border security. The sanitization and selective display witnessed in El Paso serve as a reminder of the urgent need to address the immigration crisis. American citizens, especially those residing in border states, deserve the attention and support necessary to combat this existential threat effectively.
As concerned citizens, it is crucial to remain engaged in the discussion around border security. The inaction and inadequate response witnessed during President Biden's visit highlight the need for grassroots advocacy and political pressure. Contact your elected officials, attend town hall meetings, and engage in conversations within your community to raise awareness about the dire need for enhanced border security measures.
Together, we can work towards comprehensive solutions that prioritize the safety and well-being of American citizens while upholding the values that define our nation. Let us unite in our determination to secure our borders and protect the integrity of our homeland.
