After his administration confirmed the death of a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor from Honduras in its custody, a presidential campaign statement Joe Biden made in 2019 is coming back to haunt him.
In May 2019, shortly after proclaiming his candidacy for president, Biden tweeted, “Over the last year, six children have tragically died in US custody at the border. It’s unacceptable. It’s not who we are. And silence is complicity.”
“It’s on all of us to stand up and speak out. America is a nation of immigrants. We must guarantee everyone’s treated with dignity,” he added.
Over the last year, six children have tragically died in US custody at the border. It’s unacceptable. It’s not who we are. And silence is complicity. It’s on all of us to stand up and speak out. America is a nation of immigrants. We must guarantee everyone's treated with dignity.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 23, 2019
The statement was an apparent jab at then-President Donald Trump, implying that his administration treated migrants inhumanely.
On Friday, however, Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services verified the death of an adolescent from Honduras who was in the agency’s care at a shelter in Safety Harbor, Florida.
HHS “is deeply saddened by this tragic loss and our heart goes out to the family, with whom we are in touch,” a statement read.
There was no cause of mortality listed.
🚨Confirmed: A migrant child has died in U.S. custody.
HHS statement below. pic.twitter.com/z0QQiQYWYt
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) May 12, 2023
“Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Reina called for an ‘exhaustive investigation’ into the death,” Fox News reported.
The Biden administration announced Espinoza’s passing on the same day Title 42 was terminated. Both the Trump and Biden administrations utilized the provision to deport millions of migrants who illegally entered the United States during the pandemic.
Biden attempted to terminate the policy last year, but federal court rulings prevented him from doing so.
More on this story via The Western Journal:
It was tough for the administration to argue that Title 42 should end, while at the same time wanting to keep a COVID state of emergency order in place.
The state of emergency officially ended Thursday. CONTINUE READING…
Biden in May of 2019.
Today as reports circulate of a migrant child death in US custody – hours after title 42 is lifted – Biden admin officials forced reporters to submit pre-written questions and ignored FOX’s question on this reported death. https://t.co/CdWRWYkOih
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) May 12, 2023