{"id":2219654,"date":"2024-04-12T16:55:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T20:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-rep-eric-sorensen-says-climate-change-to-blame-for-border-crisis\/"},"modified":"2024-04-12T16:58:28","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T20:58:28","slug":"dem-rep-eric-sorensen-says-climate-change-to-blame-for-border-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-rep-eric-sorensen-says-climate-change-to-blame-for-border-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat Representative Eric Sorensen attributes border crisis to climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdem-rep-eric-sorensen-says-climate-change-to-blame-for-border-crisis%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2219654&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Illinois Democrat Rep. Eric Sorensen, self-proclaimed &#8220;meteorologist,&#8221; links climate change \u200bto violence in Central America, causing \u200cborder influx. In \u2063a PBS interview, he tied the crisis to climate change. Despite claims, Sorensen&#8217;s meteorologist status lacks\u2063 federal validation. Facing reelection, border \u2062security ranks high in voter concerns. His opposition to a \u200dGOP-led\u2064 border bill focuses on addressing root causes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Illinois Democrat describes himself as &#8216;meteorologist,&#8217; though he doesn&#8217;t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jackson-mississippi-issues-christmas-boil-order-after-water-lines-break-in-freezing-temperatures\/\" title=\"Jackson, Mississippi issues Christmas Boil Order after Water Lines are Broken in Freezing Temperatures\">meet federal standards<\/a> for that title <\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\tRep. Eric Sorensen (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Rep. Eric Sorensen (D., Ill.) says climate change is driving &#8220;violence&#8221; and &#8220;chaos&#8221; in Central America, causing residents to flood the U.S. border.<\/p>\n<p>During an interview with a regional PBS affiliate last week, the first-term congressman was asked about the ongoing border crisis, which polling has consistently shown to be a top issue for voters in the upcoming elections. The congressman blamed climate change.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re seeing so much stress and violence in Central America, we\u2019re seeing the effects of a changing climate that is causing the chaos, and that\u2019s why people are migrating to the north,&#8221; the Illinois Democrat said. Sorensen frequently touts his credentials as a &#8220;meteorologist,&#8221; suggesting it makes him &#8220;a trusted information source&#8221; on climate matters. Just days after being sworn in, he declared himself the &#8220;Chief Meteorologist and climate communicator in Congress.&#8221; Sorensen, however, does not meet federal standards required to be a meteorologist, the <em>Washington Free Beacon<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/this-illinois-democrat-claims-to-be-the-only-meteorologist-in-congress-theres-just-one-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> in October.<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Democrat faces a competitive reelection bid in November, during which border security is poised to be one of the most important issues facing candidates, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-recruiting-gop-senators-for-amnesty-deal\/\" title=\"Democrats Recruiting GOP Senators for Amnesty Deal\">illegal border crossings<\/a> along the U.S.-Mexico border have surged to record-breaking levels.<\/p>\n<p>A <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/s.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/documents\/WSJ_Swing_States_Partial_March_2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poll<\/a> conducted in mid-March, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-biden-sinks-in-polls-another-house-dem-says-shes-out-in-2022\/\" title=\"As Biden Sinks In Polls, Another House Dem Says She\u2019s Out In 2022\">surveyed registered voters<\/a> in seven swing states, found immigration to be among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/election-2024-immigration-issue-voters-84916a17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top two issues<\/a> for voters in every state, next to the economy. Additionally, that poll found that at least 72 percent of respondents from each state said the country\u2019s policy on immigration and border security was going in the wrong direction under President Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Rep. Sorensen nor his campaign responded to the <em>Free Beacon<\/em>\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Sorensen addressed Congress in a May <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0bopSlqqFXw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">floor speech<\/a> to espouse his opposition to H.R. 2, a GOP-led border security bill that would have resumed the construction of a border wall, increased Border Patrol agents between ports of entry, and invested in technology for the border. &#8220;The bill in front of us today does nothing to address the root causes of our system&#8217;s backlog, and only serves to gut our asylum ability,&#8221; Sorensen said.<\/p>\n<p>Sorensen\u2019s notion of tackling the unprecedented migrant surge via addressing &#8220;root causes&#8221; in Central America is in line with the Biden administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/kamala-touts-creation-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-jobs-in-central-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">talking points<\/a>. The Biden administration has consistently pointed to &#8220;root causes,&#8221; rather than policy changes, as the main catalyst for the crisis. Earlier this month, the White House released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2024\/03\/25\/fact-sheet-update-on-the-u-s-strategy-for-addressing-the-root-causes-of-migration-in-central-america-3\/#:~:text=Vice%20President%20Harris%20continues%20to,compelled%20to%20leave%20their%20homes.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">memo<\/a> praising Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s work to address the &#8220;root causes&#8221; of illegal migration, which included bolstering &#8220;climate resilience&#8221; in Central America.\t<\/p>\n<p>Sorensen seems to be closely aligned with Biden when it comes to the question of a border wall as well. Shortly after beginning his presidency, President Biden rebuked the construction of any additional border walls after Trump built roughly 500 miles of primary and secondary border barriers during his tenure. Similarly, Sorensen rebuked the notion of a border wall in the past, arguing in a 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ERICSORENSEN\/status\/1193618145287782405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on X, formerly Twitter, &#8220;We don\u2019t need border walls.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, as the crisis at the southern border got increasingly worse, President Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/biden-admin-approves-construction-of-border-wall-citing-acute-and-immediate-need\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reversed course<\/a> and resumed the Trump-era construction of some border barriers. Sorensen was asked about what he thought appropriate border security was during his interview with PBS last week and responded that &#8220;a wall in a rural area&#8221; was among potential solutions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat from Illinois, self-identifies as a &#8220;meteorologist,&#8221; despite not meeting federal standards for the title. He claims that climate change is fueling &#8220;violence&#8221; and &#8220;chaos&#8221; in Central America, leading to a surge of residents seeking refuge at the U.S. border. In a recent interview with a regional PBS affiliate, Sorensen emphasized these points<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2088,"featured_media":2219655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/house-democrats-introduce-resolution-to-oppose-republicans-tax-plan.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2219654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/house-democrats-introduce-resolution-to-oppose-republicans-tax-plan.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2088"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2219654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2219654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2219655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2219654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2219654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2219654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}