Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida strongly criticized an immigration expert testifying before a House committee in Washington on Wednesday. David J. Bier, associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, began laughing at Luna when she accused the Biden administration of aiding in the trafficking of children at the southern border.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank funded by the Koch Brothers, advocates for loose border policies and nearly unregulated illegal immigration. Luna’s exchange with Bier quickly turned contentious as she argued in favor of separating families at the border in order to combat the rampant human trafficking of children by criminal coyotes.
Why was @CatoInstitute’s David Bier laughing about child trafficking at the border?
Disgusting display of ignorance. pic.twitter.com/4eek7BEvnk
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) January 17, 2024
Bier scoffed at Luna’s statement that these individuals might not be the biological parents of the children they are accompanying across the border. Luna pointed out that Bier, or anyone else, has no way of determining the true relationship between these individuals and the children. Bier continued to mock Luna’s opinion on family separation, leading her to declare that she no longer wanted to engage in a discussion with someone who was making light of such a serious issue.
In response to Luna’s comments, Bier referenced a report from 2021 that allegedly showed the failure of President Trump’s policy of separating families at the border. However, Luna remained firm in her belief that separating families until their true relationships could be confirmed was necessary in order to combat human trafficking.
After the exchange, Luna posted a video on social media defending her scolding of Bier. She urged people to educate themselves and stop supporting a president who is contributing to the issue of human trafficking.
Luna is raising a valid point. We have no way of knowing if these are genuine families or if the children being brought across the border have been bought for the purpose of aiding illegal entry into the country. Unfortunately, President Biden’s administration ended DNA testing that helped officials determine the authenticity of family relationships. As a result, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that 6,200 false family members were stopped at the border in 2019. This crisis only continues to grow, and it is likely that the number of fraudulent family members has significantly increased since then.
If you’re saying “family” separation is bad thing, you’re a part of the problem. I make no apologies. Educate yourself and stop supporting a President that is part of the problem. pic.twitter.com/nCvz0d4Ko7
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) January 17, 2024
President Biden’s open border policies have created a crisis that is facilitating the horrific crime of human trafficking. By allowing anyone to enter the country without proper screening and verification of family relationships, predators are taking advantage of the situation and using children as pawns to gain entry into the United States. This not only endangers the lives of these children, but it also puts our country at risk.
By ignoring the potential for human trafficking and disregarding the safety and security of our borders, they are contributing to the very problem they claim to be against. The safety and well-being of innocent children should be a top priority for our government, and it is time for President Biden to take responsibility for the crisis he has created at our southern border.
The American people deserve better than a president who turns a blind eye to such heartbreaking and destructive crimes. It is time to secure our borders and protect our country from those who seek to exploit our broken system.