President Biden reportedly exploded several times over what he believed were excuses from his team for inaction at the southern border, according to a Washington Post story on Wednesday.
As the pandemic-era immigration restriction policy Title 42 is set to expire, the outlet reported that Biden got upset with his aides over what to do about the border crisis.
"When Biden would have explosions, and he did have a bunch of them, he’d say: ‘D--- it, you haven’t told me anything different from what you told me last week,’" a former official, who remained anonymous, told the Washington Post.
"Then 10 minutes later, he’d say: ‘Look, I’m sorry, I know everybody is trying,’" the official continued, according to the Post.
President Joe Biden speaks about the economy at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 77 facility in Accokeek, Maryland, on April 19, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
EL PASO MIGRANT SHELTERS PREPARE FOR INFLUX OF PEOPLE AS TITLE 42 SET TO EXPIRE
Leon Panetta, former Obama Defense Secretary a member of the Department of Homeland Security's advisory council, told the outlet that he was not sure the administration was ready for the end of Title 42.
"I’m not sure we’re ready for the consequences," he said. "When you remove Title 42, there’s going to be new challenges that are going to have to be faced head-on."
Title 42, a public health order used to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it set to expire on Thursday.
The president told reporters on Tuesday that the border was going to be "chaotic for a while" after the health order's expiration.
March 29, 2023: Border Patrol agents encounter over 1,000 migrants in El Paso, Texas (Customs and Border Protection)
MAYORKAS PLEADS WITH MIGRANTS NOT TO ENTER US ILLEGALLY WHEN TITLE 42 ENDS
"At this stage of the game, I think the administration has had enough notice that they have got to be ready to handle whatever happens. They definitely are going to be tested in these next few weeks," Panetta added.
"It’s not going to be easy," he continued, according to the Post. "I suspect that it’s one of those explosive issues that no matter what you do, you’re going to get blamed."
The Washington Post also highlighted division among the Democratic Party about how to address the border crisis.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House on January 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images))
The former official told the outlet that after repealing the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, they questioned whether they had been to quick to halt the policy.
"It was the worst of all possible worlds," the official told the Post. "We’d said we were doing away with it, and now we had to rethink putting it back."