The situation at the Mexican border is frustrating and extremely difficult to manage.

It begins in Central America and Haiti, where various cartels and juntas fight with a semi-legitimate government for control of the country. Throw in criminal gangs and the situation for the average family simply trying to educate and raise kids is nearly impossible. Anything sounds better than their current situation, even a long and dangerous trip to the United States.

The trips are organized by coyotes who charge a fortune and have every reason to lie about the situation at the border and the likelihood of success in getting into the United States. Refugees begin a dangerous trip because the trip is less dangerous than staying in place.

Real information about the border situation is sparse and unreliable. Nearly every refugee wanting to cross during the Trump administration knew that not only would they likely not even be granted a hearing, but they also risked physical harm and losing their children. Any president, any president, that followed Trump would seem like an opportunity. Thus, there was a “backlog” in refugees, however weird that description sounds.

Like many other things, the Biden administration is left to deal with Trump’s mess. Nothing bothers the MAGAs more than the thought of brown people easily crossing our border as refugees. Very few are accepted. But one would never know the truth by watching Fox News. The phrase “open door” is thrown around a lot.

Every day, Peter Doocy seems to think that this will be the day that he backs Psaki into a corner. Today he thought he would try the “dirty diseased immigrant” trope, one that’s been around as long as there’ve been immigrants, Irish and all. Peter wanted to know why the [white] people flying into the United States had to show a vaccination card, while people held up at the border do not.

Jen had already answered a similar question posed by another reporter. It seems that Peter wanted his question available for use on Fox later in the day. Jen didn’t even hide her frustration, an answer that this time – for perhaps the first time – bordered on anger. From Alternet, a great transcript breakdown:

DOOCY: “What’s going on at the border? Is somebody asking the foreign nationals who are walking in Del Rio, Texas and setting up camps on this side of the border for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test?” he asked, despite his network’s daily on-air opposition to so-called “vaccine passports” and even the vaccine in general despite having a corporate policy mandating proof of vaccination for employees or daily testing.

PSAKI: “Well, first of all I can re-address for you or re-talk you through what steps we take,” 

Doocy interruption.

DOOCEY: Compared to the policy for people who fly into the country. So, if somebody walks, into the country, right across the river, does somebody ask to see their vaccination card?” Doocy in a staccato voice queered.

PSAKI: “Well, let me explain to you again, Peter how our process works,” Psaki, losing patience, replied. This is not the first time he has made this comparison.

“As individuals, as individuals come across the border, and they are both assessed for whether they have any symptoms, if they have symptoms they are, the intention is for them to be quarantined. That is our process, they’re not intending to stay here for a lengthy period of time, I don’t think it’s the same thing. It’s not the same thing,” 

Doocy tried to talk over Psaki. Today, Psaki was having none of it and talked right back over Doocy.

PSAKI: “These are individuals, as we’ve noted and as we’ve been discussed, we are expelling individuals based on Title 42, specifically because of COVID, because we want to prevent a scenario where large numbers of people are gathering, posing a threat to the community and also to the migrants themselves. So those are the policies that we put in place, in large part because, again, the CDC continues to recommend title 42 to be in place given we’re facing a global pandemic.”

As we have said before, that is why she is Jen Psaki and we are not.

Jen Psaki explains to Peter Doocy like he is a four-year-old the difference between Haitian immigrants who are being deported and unvaccinated people flying on airplanes. pic.twitter.com/iBcIRqVX8L

— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 20, 2021