MSNBC host Alicia Menendez and her guest Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, accused Republicans of "Christian" hypocrisy for their immigration policies
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that it would, as litigation continues, maintain Title 42, a policy that refused asylum seekers in the name of preserving public health. The ruling caused shock-waves across social media as elected officials and commentators offered their takes on border policy.
Menendez, guest-hosting "Alex Wagner Tonight," opened the show with a segment condemning Republicans for their immigration policies, suggesting Christian conservatives were somehow being hypocritical "in a season all about welcoming the stranger."
After slamming Texas Gov. Greg Abbot for having bussed asylum seekers to Vice President Kamala Harris' residence in Washington DC, a sanctuary city, on a cold Christmas Eve, and mocking the GOP for its commitment to "Christian values," Menendez suggested that Title 42 was being used disingenuously.
MANCHIN URGES WHITE HOUSE TO KEEP TITLE 42 BORDER POLICY IN PLACE
"Title 42 is not immigration policy meant for extended use," she said. "It’s a public health measure that Republicans are now using as a political cudgel to advance their anti-immigrant agenda, in line with other stunts on their other tactics."
She followed up by quoting Castro as he slammed Abbott with the apparently sarcastic statement, "How Christian of you," on Twitter.
Menendez observed while interviewing Castro that his tweet over the weekend had "really struck a nerve" and asked for his reaction to seeing images of those migrants dropped off in DC.
"I was so upset that Greg Abbott, because he thinks he can become president, and because these guys like Abbott and DeSantis are so drunk on Trumpenness, that they’re trying to be as mean and as cruel as they possibly can."
In Tuesday's 5-4 ruling, Supreme Court Justices Roberts, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas agreed to hear a challenge from Republican-led states against ending Title 42 during the February 2023 argument session.
Title 42 has been used to deter migrants more than 2.5 million times. Despite that, a record 2.3 million migrants were encountered at the border in fiscal year 2022, according to Customs and Border Protection.
