Manchin says border situation is a 'crisis' as White House refuses to use word

Sen. Joe Manchin dubbed the surge of new immigrants at the southern border a “crisis” on Monday as the White House refuses to use such a characterization. 

"Whatever message was sent -- it was sure interpreted the wrong way," Manchin said in remarks to CNN. "It's a crisis -- oh, it's a crisis." Republicans have blamed President Biden for the surge of migrants, many of them unaccompanied minors, at the border. Biden rolled back a number of Trump-era immigration restrictions he deemed inhumane in his first weeks in office and reinstated practices like catch-and-release. Still, members of Biden’s inner circle have sent a message to immigrants that now is "not the time" to come to the U.S.