CHARLESTON, S.C. – FIRST ON FOX — Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott slammed what he called a “two-tiered standard” concerning President Biden mulling executive action to handle the border crisis, and how former President Trump was treated during his presidency when he attempted to do the same thing.
“Well, there’s no question that there’s a two-tiered standard in our national media. The way they cover President Trump versus the way that they use kid gloves to cover Joe Biden. There’s no question about that,” Scott said during a Thursday interview with Fox News Digital when asked about reports that Biden is weighing executive action to crack down on asylum-seeking.
“More important, however, is that when we had President Trump in office, we actually had a basically sealed southern border. Crossings were around a thousand a day. Under President Biden in December, we had 10,000 crossings on average per day,” he added. “That contrast should be what the media is covering.”
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President Joe Biden, Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
An administration source told Fox earlier this week that Biden is considering executive action to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum amid historic numbers of border crossings facing the country, but that it’s one of “several” plans being looked at.
An administration official also stressed that there have been no final decisions on what actions, if any, could be taken and that exploring policy options does not mean they will come to pass.
One of the options reportedly on the table is use of 212(f) of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to restrict certain categories of foreigners who are deemed “detrimental to the interests of the United States.” Trump attempted to use it but was blocked by a federal court, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court.
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Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott speaks with reporters after casting his ballot in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary in Hanahan, South Carolina on February 22, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)
The former president also faced sharp criticism from Democrats and members of the liberal media for attempting to use executive action on immigration, including being called “xenophobic” and “racist.”
Biden has yet to face the same widespread level of criticism, although some of the more progressive Democrats have lashed out at the idea of Biden reverting to the previous administration’s approach.
“Democrats CANNOT solve immigration problems by adopting Trump-like policies,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote in a post on X, while Rep. Jesús García, D-Ill., claimed, “President Biden would be making a grave mistake if he moves forward with this policy.”
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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The possible executive action by Biden comes just under two weeks after the House of Representatives narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis.
During a gaggle with reporters after casting his vote in the South Carolina primary earlier in the day, Scott told Fox that he “certainly” supported Mayorkas’ impeachment, and he praised the House for having the “courage” to take such action. However, he admitted the task likely wouldn’t go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
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“The best way to eliminate Mayorkas being the secretary is to actually fire Joe Biden,” he said. “If we really want to change the trajectory of the country as it relates to immigration — illegal immigration — we have to do so by having someone, a commander-in-chief, who respects our borders, who wants to close our borders.”
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
