Meghan McCain grills Psaki on ‘hypocrisy’ over migrant children facility

Co-host of The View Meghan McCain questioned White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the reopening of a migrant children facility saying it’s a hypocritical move considering President Biden’s criticism of former President Trump’s use of the facility. 

“There’s criticism all the way around including from people within your own party like AOC and I think there’s just a lot of people that see this as hypocrisy and that it’s sort of just potato potato. Kids in cages are just kids being separated from their families,” McCain said during the interview.

.@PressSec defends Biden admin’s decision to reopen a migrant facility for unaccompanied children, telling @TheView it’s “absolutely not the same” as Trump’s policy and was “best decision” to “keep these kids safe”: “We are not ripping children from the arms of their parents.” pic.twitter.com/OFFOV7ty7C

— The View (@TheView) February 25, 2021

The facility for migrant kids ages 13 to 17 in Carrizo Springs, Texas, has been criticized by many and seen as similar to Trump-era immigration tactics. 

Psaki defended the decision and said the administration is not separating the children from their parents. 

“In the time of COVID, that means we needed to open an additional facility so that we could have educational services, so that we could have legal services, so that we could have medical and health services and have those kids there, treated humanly, until we can find proper homes, family placements for these kids,” Psaki said. 

The backlash for the proposal came from both sides of the aisle including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) who tweeted that the facility “is not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay – no matter the administration or party.”

Psaki insisted this was not like Trump’s policies when McCain pushed her on the topic and said that they felt this was the “best decision” during this time to “keep these kids safe.”

“This is kids going to a facility run by HHS. We had to open a new one to make sure it had the safe protocols in order to address the COVID needs and the health and safety needs because we can’t have as many kids in the former HHS facility,” Psaki said.