President Joe Biden appeared to become agitated with a reporter Thursday when she asked him about conditions in an overcrowded migrant facility at the U.S. southern border.
ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega was asking Biden about the border crisis during the first press conference of his presidency, when she brought up a facility holding migrants in “horrific” conditions. (RELATED: ‘Are Reporters Being Used?’: MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski Rips Biden Admin’s Use Of Media To ‘Sell’ A Positive Image Of Border Crisis)
“You mentioned circumstances that must be horrific. The Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas — I was there — is at 1556% capacity right now with mostly unaccompanied minors. There are kids that are sleeping on floors, they are packed into these pods,” Vega began. “I’ve spoken to lawyers who say that some of these children have not seen the sun in days. What is your reaction to these images that have come out from that particular facility? Is what’s happening inside acceptable to you? And when is this going to be fixed?”
“That’s a serious question, right? If it’s acceptable to me? Come on,” Biden answered, seemingly becoming frustrated at the question.
“That’s why we’re going to be moving a thousand of those kids out quickly. That’s why I got Fort Bliss opened up. That’s why I’ve been working from the moment this started to happen to try to find additional access for children to be able to safely — not just children, but particularly children — to be able to safely be housed while we follow through on the rest of what’s happening. That is totally unacceptable,” he concluded.
The Biden administration has been heavily criticized for its handling of the crisis at the border, as well as its apparent hesitation in calling the situation “a crisis.” Apprehensions of unaccompanied migrant children skyrocketed in February, with over 9,000 encountered at the border. The administration announced earlier in March that it would not expel unaccompanied minors from the U.S.
The number of unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody has risen sharply since Biden took office. The administration has opened multiple new facilities in an attempt to handle the overflow at the facilities already in operation.