Beto O’Rourke says he thinks ‘the border is pretty great right now’

On Monday afternoon, Texas gubernatorial candidate Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke revealed that he believes the situation at the southern border is “pretty great right now.”

O’Rourke made the comments during a town hall in Rio Grande City, Texas, after being asked about the $5 billion of state money Texas Governor Greg Abbott has invested in securing the southern border.

“We all agree that we want the border to be better. In fact, I think the border is pretty great right now,” O’Rourke said. “I’d love to see investments in our communities, protecting our natural heritage, improving the ability to help those who are seeking asylum and trying to do it lawfully and in an orderly fashion, because they literally cannot return to their home countries for fear of being killed, or their children being kidnapped. I want to see us do a better job.”

These comments come as illegal immigration on the border continues to soar. Over 234,000 immigrants were encountered by border officials in April 2022.

“There were 234,088 migrants encountered at the Southern border in April, per a DHS court filing today. That’s the highest number in DHS history. 117,989 migrants were released into the U.S. in April. 113,248 were removed, including 96,908 expelled via Title 42,” Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin wrote on Twitter.

Republican National Committee spokesperson Nicole Morales, one of many to criticize O’Rourke over his comments, said that O’Rourke is showing that he’s out-of-touch with Texans. “Robert Francis O’Rourke is once again proving himself to be out-of-touch with Texans. Biden’s border crisis is almost as ‘great’ as his failed presidential run,” Morales said.