Approximately 245,000 illegal entries have been recorded so far this fiscal year in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, according to government data.

“The Biden administration was not required to expand construction of the border wall — and they certainly were not required to waive several environmental laws to expedite the building,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. “The President needs to take responsibility for this decision and reverse course.” …

“A wall does nothing to deter people who are fleeing poverty and violence from coming to the United States,” she said. “You do not risk your life or your children’s lives going through the Darien Gap or traversing hundreds of miles of desert if you have any other options. Walls only serve to push migrants into more remote areas, increasing their chances of death. It is a cruel policy.”

[If we had an effective border barrier, then they would realize that entering the US illegally isn’t an “option” either. The President needs to take responsibility for his massive failure to secure the border, and Ocasio-Cortez has to decide whether she wants to be a responsible legislator or an anarchic activist. — Ed]