Biden immigration policy 'may have' fueled migrant influx, border czar says

A senior White House official admitted on Wednesday that President Biden's immigration policies drew "hope" and "may have" contributed to a sharp uptick in the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border since the new administration took office.

Asked whether the timing of the increase was a coincidence, Roberta Jacobson said the prospect of "a more humane policy" under Biden "may have driven people to make that decision."

"We've seen surges before. Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was a significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand," said Jacobson, Biden's National Security Council coordinator for the southern border and a former ambassador to Mexico from 2016 to 2018.