White House Disputes Jon Kyl's Claims That It's Stalling Border Security

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday disputed a Republican senator's claim that President Barack Obama refuses to secure the Mexican border until Congress agrees to a wide-ranging overhaul of immigration laws.

Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona told a Tea Party gathering in North Phoenix, Ariz., on Friday of his recent private meeting with Obama in the Oval Office. Kyl, the Senate's second-ranking GOP leader, said he pressed Obama to secure the border against illegal immigrants.

Kyl told the group: "The problem is, he said, 'If we secure the border, then you all won't have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.'"

"They want to get something in return for doing their duty," Kyl told the group.

The White House denied the account over the weekend, and Obama spokesman Bill Burton restated that position Monday when questioned by reporters.

"The president didn't say that," Burton said of Kyl's account. "Sen. Kyl knows the president didn't say that."

Asked if Kyl was lying or indulging in "political exaggeration," Burton replied: "I'll let other folks make that determination."

Obama has taken steps to improve border security, while also saying security must be part of a broader approach to immigration. He recently pledged to spend an additional $500 million on security and to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the border.

The White House website says Obama "believes that our broken immigration system can only be fixed by putting politics aside and offering a complete solution that secures our border, enforces our laws, and reaffirms our heritage as a nation of immigrants."

Obama told CNN's Larry King on June 3, "We've already put more resources into border security than we ever have."

He added: "But without comprehensive immigration reform that is Congress' responsibility we are not going to solve this problem, and that's what we have to do."

Kyl spokesman Ryan Patmintra said the senator stands by his remarks. He said the White House position "that we must have comprehensive immigration reform to secure the border only confirms Sen. Kyl's account."

Comments

[ugly american]

01:48 PM on 06/23/2010

Obama is not looking at history if he thinks amnesty will fly without securing the border first. The reason people are still sore about 1986 is because the promise was made that the borders would be closed to illegal immigration if we only gave amnesty to 1.7 million people (who wound up being 3 million.) They gave the citizenship but opened the tap wider for Mexican and Latin American citizens to flow in without cease.
Now 20 odd years later we have now at least 12 million foriegn citizens here, not asking but demanding that we give them citizenship based on the fact that they are here, permission or not.A lot of people don't want a repeat of this again in 20 years with four times as many again. It is not that we hate brown people, but that we cannot keep absorbing Mexico's population and we would like to have a bit of say who we do give citizenship to. The "fail to enforce/amnesty" system is becoming intolerable to about 60% or more of Americans.
The message for Obama on reform should be "Secure the borders, then we talk."

[ugly american]

01:16 PM on 06/23/2010

I did not expect to see this here. This story was carried mainly by Fox but AP finally got hold of it.
Regardless of what Barry thinks will work for the Dems, immigration reform with amenesty attached is not going to fly. The republicans will not buy it and there are more than a few democrats who think being so free with citizenship might be a bad idea. Holding back on border security is just going to make these folks dig in more against reform.
It does make one ask, though...with Mexico getting into our domestic affairs so much and being allowed to join our US civil suit opposing Arizona, how much does Obama care about US soveriegnity? And yes we as a nation do have a right to soveriegnity no matter what Mexico thinks.

[HumanBeing2]

09:48 PM on 06/22/2010

I am not sure if Kyl has lost his mind... Obama is now the most anti-immigrant president on record:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100622/OPINION01/6220319/1008/opinion01/The-great-immigration-deception

[Bronxdude]

01:14 PM on 06/22/2010

Long-established republican tactic: when all else fails, divert attention from the real issues by blaming the poor, downtrodden, and disadvantaged! If that fails, just lie!

[grf67]

12:35 PM on 06/22/2010

Tell the governor to use the AZ Nastional Guard. These are the teabaggers who want the federal government out of their lives. So be it.

[wyb]

12:29 PM on 06/22/2010

A few travel tips if you get lost and end up in AZ. One, buy and wear a pistol, so you can complain about "them" wanting to "take it way". Two, dumb down at least one standard deviation. Keep the conversation light, by being inflammatory. Just complain loudly about "desegregation and illegals". Third, have your own bathroom tissue or newspaper as the state closed reststops with indoor plumbing, just to let Obama know how they feel about any goverment control.

[Cailleach Echo]

12:16 PM on 06/22/2010

Kyl has been office since '95. He has always refused to do anything. So why does he suddenly care now?

McCain and Kyl are the shame of AZ. A quick look at their records shows that they waffle back and forth but actually do nothing.

DEMAND REAL IMMIGRATION NOW

[Franklin1776]

11:31 AM on 06/22/2010

Kyl has been in congress since the 80's and Obama is stalling?

[rowf]

10:45 AM on 06/22/2010

Kyl is just another Texas redneck who will do or say anything to try to undermine this president. They grow them real weird down there.

[Thomas G Williams]

10:24 AM on 06/22/2010

Kyl has lied BEFORE and he will lie AGAIN, he will also never ever be alone with anyone AGAIN and never trusted to be an honest participant in the process.

[Cailleach Echo]

11:58 AM on 06/22/2010

I was just about to say exactly the same thing. I'm from AZ and can remember when then-governor Napalitano asked McCain, Kyl and Bush for help at the border. There are 20,000 Border Patrol and that's not enough. They turned her down and said there was no need for more.

Kyl is known in AZ - he lies as much as McCain does.

[CeeMac]

10:20 AM on 06/22/2010

I do not see either party bringing immigration reform any time soon. Dems don't want reform because of the loss of potential Democratic voters and separation of families with anchor babies. Repubs don't want immigration reform because then Big Business might actually have to pay a living wage--and provide decent working conditions--to legal citizen employees. This would cut into the bottom line, and we can't have that. Call me a skeptic, but there is so much money wrapped up in this issue, that the competing interests on both sides will do just about ANYTHING to keep real reform--heck, even the enforcing of federal laws--on the books. (That said, this president has been doing more to enforce immigrations laws that the previous president ever did.)

[Raccoon1]

10:36 AM on 06/22/2010

Interesting that no one complains that GWB had total control for six years and did NOTHING about illegal immigration.

[Franklin1776]

11:31 AM on 06/22/2010

You're an anchor baby.

[SGlitz]

09:55 AM on 06/22/2010

If I have to choice between a straight shooting Senator and a "transparent" Liar of a President...I know who I believe.

[Disciple1]

10:01 AM on 06/22/2010

And choosing a "straight shooter" that consistently loads 'blanks' in his little pistol would be a testimony to your questionable good judgment. Of course, I realize that you also probably believe Bush and Reagan were the greatest protectors of this country's democracy...go figure.

[Cailleach Echo]

12:00 PM on 06/22/2010

PROVE that President Obama is a liar.

If you can't prove it, stop saying it.

[MarieB]

08:52 AM on 06/22/2010

What a BSer! Kyl and his cronies had 8 years under Bush to get this done and not a peep. A new administration arrives and he turns the tables and makes it a big deal. A whole lot more could get done for this country if it weren't for obstructionists like Kyl voting against or holding up everything that comes before them. The republicans are stalling on anything and everything to move this country forward so they can strut around in November saying the Obama administration can't get anything accomplished. Kyl had 8 years to push for border security in his state and did nothing. Who's kidding who here?

[MarieB]

09:16 AM on 06/22/2010

Excuse me..he had 15 years.

[lohu]

09:29 AM on 06/22/2010

After what the WH did with the Sestak's job offer, I think Kyl seems the more credible than the WH.

[rowf]

10:49 AM on 06/22/2010

The White House offered Sestak a job, they offer jobs to lots of talented, capable people. And if it was to keep him from pushing a primary challenge in PA then that's politics. It's done all the time. The Republicans just want to make this look illegal when it is how the game is played in DC. I'm not a Specter fan by any means but Sestak gives me a bad feeling.

[Lab Sharpei]

08:25 AM on 06/22/2010

We will now refer to all il.legals as Undocumented Democrats...

[FatFeline]

08:03 AM on 06/22/2010

"send 1,200 National Guard troops to the border."

He promised that week ago. They are not there yet. On top of that it has been stated that they will not be patrolling the boarder. They will be washing trucks and answering phones.

[Disciple1]

10:07 AM on 06/22/2010

Civics lesson 101: The POTUS does not SEND National Guard troops ANYWHERE unless he has declared a widespread EMERGENCY. Otherwise the President REQUESTS the troops from each State's governors who then must get their legislatures to approve the move, after which the GOVERNOR decides the schedule for release to the specific border regions. Good grief...

[DUSAA-1775]

10:15 AM on 06/22/2010

very well put... i am very pleased on how you showed Obama to have been lying to the people when he said that he would send the Guard to the border.

[sdmills27]

11:55 AM on 06/22/2010

(rolling eyes)

You know exactly what she meant. And if he was serious about getting troops on the border, why wouldn't he put pressure on the Governors? Maybe it is because he is in over his head and doesn't know how be in charge of anything? I think it is because he doesn't want them sent there because Kyl is right.