RNC releases video campaign hitting Biden over border encounters

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is releasing a video campaign hitting President Biden over the situation at the southern border, which has seen an uptick of migrant encounters recently and is expected to see a record-breaking surge in the coming weeks.

The RNC released the first video in their “Unchecked” video series, which includes interviews with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ron Vitiello, and journalist Julio Rosas of the conservative news outlet Townhall. 

The video series also uses clips from Fox News and CNN, and the campaign emphasized that 2 million migrants have been encountered at the border in 2021.

“Plain and simple: Joe Biden is the root cause of the pain and suffering on the border. Biden and ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris’ failures have put our law enforcement officials in harm’s way,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

The development comes as Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz told CNN earlier this month that the agency is expecting to see a record-breaking surge of migrant encounters at the southern border.

He said that it could “become the norm” to see between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants a day this spring. 

The Department of Homeland Security says they are already proactively taking steps to get ready for a surge of migrant encounters, especially if Title 42, which was partially lifted this month for children, is fully eliminated. 

The Trump-era public health policy allowed officials to turn away migrants at the border and stop them from seeking asylum. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously said it will be under review through Wednesday.

“There are additional temporary facilities being constructed right now. Some of those will be online in early April. That will bring holding capacity up to additional spots. We’re also doing contracting for additional busing to provide transportation resources and also additional air resources and staffing,” one official said on Tuesday.