Biden slated to visit East Palestine, Ohio, about a year after train derailment debacle

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President Joe Biden is slated to visit East Palestine, Ohio, sometime next month, according to the White House, meaning that his trip will take place around a year after the February 2023 train derailment.

Following the derailment, vinyl chloride was released from several tank cars and burned in a bid to prevent a possible explosion, reports indicate.

"In February, President Biden will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, to meet with residents impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment, discuss Federal support to the community, and hold Norfolk Southern accountable," according to a White House press release.

During a Wednesday briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said the mayor and community leaders had invited Biden.

"I'm as red as they come. I'm as conservative as they come. Sometimes I have to do what's best for the people so, yes, that's why I invited him," Mayor Trent Conaway said, according to the Associated Press.

Fox News Channel's "Special Report" noted on Wednesday that earlier this month, Trent had indicated that the "best time" for Biden "to come would be February of 2025 when he is on his book tour," and that "the President is always welcome to our town," but "I don’t know what he would do here now."

In comments aired on Wednesday's "Special Report," Trent said that he had written a letter around a month ago noting that he believed Biden needed to visit and witness what is happening. When Kelly Saberi of Fox Business asked Trent if he stood by his book tour comment, he said he fully stood behind what he had said. Trent also said that he thinks the best time for Biden to visit would have been when the episode actually occurred.

— (@)

In a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump, who visited the area just weeks after the wreck in February last year, blasted Biden.

"With the World blowing up around us, with the Middle East on FIRE, Biden has finally decided to visit East Palestine, Ohio, a year late, and only to develop some political credibility because EVERYTHING else he has done has been such a DISASTER. I know those great people, I was there when it counted, and his reception won't be a warm one. Worst President in History!" Trump declared in the post.

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White House Announces State Visit With South Korea

The State Visit will be the second one of the administration

White House accuses GOP officials of 'creating chaos' and 'confusion' by sending 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Ted Cruz says, 'Now try 4.2 million.'



The White House on Thursday lashed out at Republican elected officials for sending illegal immigrants to Democrat-run sanctuary cities like Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and Washington, D.C., with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre delivering a stream of invectives denouncing actions by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), as well as several GOP senators.

"Using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless, and just plain wrong," Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press briefing. "If these governors truly care about border security, they should ask Texas Governor Ted Cruz and Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott why they voted against the president's request for record funding for the Department of Homeland Security."

She said there is a legal process in place for processing asylum-seekers into the U.S. and that Republican governors are "creating chaos" and "confusion" by interfering with that process.

\u201cKJP: "Using migrants as political pawns is shameful, is reckless, and just plain wrong...if these governors truly care about border security, they should ask Texas *governor* Ted Cruz...why [he] voted against...record funding for DHS."\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1663265420

A DeSantis spokeswoman told Fox News Wednesday that two planes full of migrants were sent from Florida to Martha's Vineyard as part of a state relocation program to carry illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities. Officials from Dukes County, Massachusetts, later confirmed that about 50 individuals from Venezuela were delivered at Martha's Vineyard Airport seeking shelter, referring to the situation as a "humanitarian crisis."

\u201cTo our Island community, here is an update on current humanitarian crisis on Martha's Vineyard....we thank people for their continued help.\u201d
— Visit Martha's Vineyard (@Visit Martha's Vineyard) 1663255922

Additionally, two buses carrying migrants arrived at Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning. Texas Gov. Abbott took credit for sending the migrants in a statement promising to continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities until the federal government secures the border.

"Our supposed Border Czar, VP Harris, has yet to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement," Abbott tweeted. "Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like D.C. until Biden & Harris do their jobs to secure the border."

\u201cOur supposed Border Czar, VP Harris, has yet to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement.\n\nTexas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like D.C. until Biden & Harris do their jobs to secure the border.\u201d
— Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott) 1663260068


The actions by the Republican governors provoked a meltdown by liberals on social media. Jean-Pierre blasted the GOP governors, calling the migrant drop-offs a "cruel premeditated political stunt."

“It’s really just disrespectful to humanity. It is — it doesn’t afford them any dignity, what they’re doing, when you’re abandoning families and children in a place where they were told they were going to get housing, in a place where they were told they were going to get jobs,” Jean-Pierre said. “It is just cruel.”

Responding to the outrage, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) mocked Jean-Pierre for incorrectly stating his office.

\u201cRent free.\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1663266293

"To be fair, sending anyone to be surrounded by rich, hypocritical liberals is pretty cruel & inhumane," Cruz said in response to her criticisms.

\u201cTo be fair, sending anyone to be surrounded by rich, hypocritical liberals is pretty cruel & inhumane\u2026.\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1663268766

Earlier, the Texas senator applauded the actions by DeSantis and Abbott and accused Democrats in Martha's Vineyard of hypocrisy.

"Kudos to @GovRonDeSantis for sending illegal immigrants to Martah's Vineyard. When I proposed the same last year, the elected leadership welcomed it," Cruz said.

\u201c1/x Kudos to \u2066@GovRonDeSantis\u2069 for sending illegal immigrants to Martha\u2019s Vineyard.\n\nWhen I proposed the same last year, the elected leadership welcomed it:\n\nCounty commissioner Keith Chatinover: \u201cI would LOVE Martha\u2019s Vineyard to become a haven\u2026\u201d https://t.co/R1FyL5URCJ\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1663251669

He referenced legislation he introduced last year called the "Stop the SURGE Act," which would have established 13 new points of entry for migrants in sanctuary city jurisdictions, including Martha's Vineyard. Cruz recalled that at the time, Dukes County Commissioner Keith Chatinover (D) welcomed immigrants to come to Martha's Vineyard.

“I would love Martha’s Vineyard to become a haven for new immigrants to this country, but Senator Cruz has no idea what he’s talking about regarding a ‘border crisis,’” Chatinover told the Martha's Vineyard Times in October 2021.

"Let’s see if the Dems in Martha’s Vineyard feel the same way after a few thousand illegal immigrants arrive on their doorstep," Cruz said Thursday morning.

\u201c3/x \u201c\u2026and he is trying to whip up racial anxieties for political gain, which is essentially the entire GOP platform anyhow.\u201d\n\n\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8 HYPOCRISY ALERT: Let\u2019s see if the Dems in Martha\u2019s Vineyard feel the same way after a few thousand illegal immigrants arrive on their doorstep\u2026.\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1663251669

Chatinover responded hours later, tweeting, "when refugees showed up on our shores, we provided them with food and shelter—not cages and family separations."

\u201cNotice @tedcruz how when refugees showed up on our shores, we provided them with food and shelter\u2014not cages and family separations.\u201d
— Keith Chatinover (@Keith Chatinover) 1663254092

On Wednesday, the Democratic local official berated DeSantis for sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard "to prove a political point."

"The island can and will do everything we can to support them, including myself as an elected official. But the fact that you did this, without consulting us and allowing us to prepare for their arrival, is dangerous and disgusting," he said in a tweet thread calling out DeSantis.

"Islanders writ large support refugee resettlement, but we can’t help in that process if we are given no advance notice. Our governments weren’t at all prepared for this and proving a point by endangering lives is gross," Chatinover added.

However, Cruz repeatedly pointed out that while Democrats may be congratulating themselves for coming together to care for 50 people, and attacking Republicans for sending them without warning, the reality of border towns in the United States is that more than 4.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed into this country since President Joe Biden took office. Those towns are overwhelmed, and Republicans say the White House is contributing to the crisis by failing to secure the border.

\u201cNow try 4.2 million.\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1663269156

FACT CHECK: Did Queen Elizabeth II Wear A ‘Trump Won’ Sash?

The image is digitally altered

Trump to visit southern border, slams Biden and Harris for refusing to tour 'wreckage they created'



Former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will soon make a trip to the southern border at the invitation of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), and took the opportunity to lambaste President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for refusing to make a trip to the area despite the ongoing migrant crisis he called the "wreckage they created."

What are the details?

Trump said in a statement that he will join Abbott on June 30 for "an official visit to our Nation's decimated Southern border," saying that "the Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S. history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis disaster in U.S. history."

He continued:

We went from detain-and-remove to catch-and-release. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Biden and Harris have handed control of our border over to cartels, criminals, and coyotes. Drug dealers, MS-13 gang members, human smugglers, sex traffickers, and the criminal elements of the world now have free reign. Hospitals and schools are getting crushed and public health is being sacrificed all in service of a radical left anti-borders agenda. Our brave border agents and courageous ICE officers have been illegally stopped from doing their jobs. Our Nation is now one giant sanctuary city where even dangerous criminals are being cut loose and set free inside the U.S. interior on a daily basis.

The former president added, "If this weren't bad enough, Biden and Harris won't even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and ICE heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible."

Earlier in the day, Abbott tweeted that "Texas will finish what President Trump started," touting his forthcoming plan to build a border wall in the absence of the Biden administration's assistance as illegal immigrants continue to pour into the U.S. via Mexico at record rates.

Texas will finish what President Trump started. Later this week, I will unveil our plans to build a border wall.… https://t.co/Lw69491wIf
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) 1623765515.0

The Daily Mail noted that according U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released last week, "the number of migrants rocketed by more than six-fold from the 23,237 who crossed from Mexico into the United States in May 2020."

The outlet added that the "data also showed illegal crossings have exploded by 674% in a year, with 180,034 recorded in May — the fourth consecutive monthly rise."

Meanwhile, Fox News reports that Harris — who was designated by Biden to address the "root causes" of the migrant surge — has gone 83 days without visiting the border since being tapped as point person on the crisis.