Late last week a photojournalist with a major very-well-known international image subscription service said that every president has allowed him to photograph US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) operations going on at the US-Mexico border operations except for Democrat President Joe Biden. So why do you think that is? Could it be the Biden administration doesn’t want the world to know how badly they’ve screwed things up at the southern border?
The claims made by John Moore, a Getty Images Special Correspondent, come as a bipartisan group of senators now demand that Biden allow the news media to see the crisis that Biden himself has created with no end in sight.
Moore took to social media to air his complaint to the government for the entire world to witness. A guy who went by the name of Thomas Jefferson did the same thing once when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, where he was telling the world what the British government did to them. I’m not comparing Moore to Jefferson, but it is a gutsy move on Moore’s part just the same.
But at the same time, we have to recognize that a media blackout was self-imposed against former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election where the media simply refused to report any news whatsoever on election fraud allegations other than to claim they were false where there were mountains of evidence presented at a number of state legislature hearings after the Big Steal. And think about this. After the peaceful protest turned riot on January 6 at our nation’s Capitol Trump made many social media posts, including two videos, asking for calm and asking protesters and rioters to respect law enforcement and he even asking them to go home, but the same media who are now complaining about not being given access to news refused to publish either Trump’s pleas for peace or report that the social media tech giants censored him by removing all of his posts including the two videos.
“I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations. I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but now – zero access is granted to media. These long lens images taken from the Mexican side. @CBP #gettyimagesnews“
CBP was established under the George W Bush administration in 2003.
I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations. I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but now – zero access is granted to media. These long lens images taken from the Mexican side. @CBP #gettyimagesnews pic.twitter.com/cWa90TlfeS
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 19, 2021
“There’s no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations. To those who might say, cut them some slack – they are dealing with a situation, I’d say that showing the US response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the media’s role.”
There’s no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations. To those who might say, cut them some slack – they are dealing with a situation, I’d say that showing the US response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the media’s role.
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 19, 2021
“Photographing Border Patrol agents and immigrant encounters can and has been done respectfully without interfering with operations. Regardless, @cbp public affairs exists to work with media,” he continued.
Photographing Border Patrol agents and immigrant encounters can and has been done respectfully without interfering with operations. Regardless, @cbp public affairs exists to work with media.
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 19, 2021
“And Pandemic restrictions are not a valid excuse to block physical media access, especially to operations that are outside. There are easy alternative options to media ride-alongs.”
And Pandemic restrictions are not a valid excuse to block physical media access, especially to operations that are outside. There are easy alternative options to media ride-alongs. @cbp
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 19, 2021
“Showing the difficult and important work of @cbp agents in the field, while also photographing immigrants in a dignified way are not mutually exclusive endeavors. Transparency is key, even in a politicized environment.”
Showing the difficult and important work of @cbp agents in the field, while also photographing immigrants in a dignified way are not mutually exclusive endeavors. Transparency is key, even in a politicized environment. @DHSgov
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 19, 2021
“The photographs in this tweet string were taken with a telephoto lens from across the border in Mexico. Until now, US photojournalists haven’t needed to stand in another country to photograph what’s happening – in the United States.”
The photographs in this tweet string were taken with a telephoto lens from across the border in Mexico. Until now, US photojournalists haven’t needed to stand in another country to photograph what’s happening – in the United States.
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 20, 2021
“The vast majority of river crossings by asylum seekers happen on federal land in south Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. The federal govt. controls access to those areas,” he concluded. “The Border Patrol has been removing journalists who enter, including recently myself, CBS, others.”
The vast majority of river crossings by asylum seekers happen on federal land in south Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. The federal govt. controls access to those areas. The Border Patrol has been removing journalists who enter, including recently myself, CBS, others. @cbsmireya
— John Moore (@jbmoorephoto) March 20, 2021
Last week several reporters excoriated White House Press puppet Jen Psaki over the lack of media access the Biden administration is offering to the press. One reporter reminded Psaki of one thing Joe Biden said, that if elected his administration would “be the most truthful and transparent administration.” It has been anything but truthful or transparent.
During a press briefing, one reporter cited it was three weeks since someone first asked Psaki about access for journalists inside the southern border facilities, “Why are we still not seeing any images inside these facilities?”
“The DHS oversees the Border Patrol facilities, and we want to work with them to ensure we can do respecting the privacy and obviously the health protocols required by COVID,” the press secretary replied.
What health protocols? The Biden administration isn’t testing the “unregistered Democrats” for COVID as they walk across our border.
Biden DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said during an interview last week that if “loving parents” send their child alone to the US-Mexico border, the Biden administration will not only not expel the child, but will also “care for” the child.
Maybe it’s statements like that which caused former President Donald Trump to point out that Mayorkas is incompetent at his job.
“He’s incompetent and just mark my words, take a look at what’s going to happen over the next fairly long period of time because they might not be capable of stopping it,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax.
Trump continued, “You take a look even now you take a look at the thousands of people that are pouring up from South America, Latin America, pouring up into our country, and they don’t even stop them, they just let them walk right in. They’ve totally lost control of the southern border. We had it under total control.”
The Biden administration won’t even admit that what’s going on at the southern border is a crisis, having Psaki refer to the overwhelming chaos there as a “circumstance.”
