Seeking to draw attention to the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border, Representative Lauren Boebert brought along a thermal space blanket to US President Joe Biden’s first big speech in Congress.
The first-term Republican lawmaker from Colorado unfolded a thermal space blanket similar to those given to migrants in detention facilities at the southern border, and kept it on her lap as she listened to Biden’s speech and live-tweeted.
“Biden’s solution to illegal immigration is amnesty and open borders,” the congresswoman wrote on Twitter, describing the situation at the border as “a war zone.”
Biden’s solution to illegal immigration is amnesty and open borders.
The congresswoman was immediately mocked on social media, with Twitter users posting tinfoil hat memes and joking about Boebert wanting to “protect herself from electromagnetic hypersensitivity.”
Boebert is wearing a space blanket to protect herself from electromagnetic hypersensitivity, obviously. pic.twitter.com/nBk92QbndB
Boebert’s spokesperson told the Hill news site that she wanted to highlight the recent influx of migrants from Mexico and other Central American countries.
“President Biden did not address or bring attention to the crisis at our southern border. So Rep. Boebert did,” the spokesperson said.
The president urged Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that would both secure the border and provide legal protection and a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. “The country supports immigration reform. Congress should act,” he said.
Biden added that Washington should focus on providing aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in order to incentivize people to stay in their home countries instead of venturing to the US.
Republicans have accused the Biden administration of failing to deal with the surge of migrants and downplaying the seriousness of the problem. Senator Tim Scott, who delivered the GOP’s rebuttal to Biden’s speech, said, “Weakening our southern borders and creating a crisis is not compassionate.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last month that the US was on pace to see the biggest surge of people coming across the border in 20 years. According to US Customs and Border Protection, border agents had over 569,800 encounters with people attempting to illegally cross the border in the first three months of 2021, which was already 24% higher than the whole of 2020.
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