Ilhan Omar: Migrants 'are not turning on the news to see who is president' before crossing border

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar said on Friday that some of the migrants who crossed the border told her that they "don't know who the president is."

"I know for the parents that have made this decision to have their kids take on this journey are making a responsible decision because they want their kids to live, to have an opportunity and what better place, right, to do that than the land of opportunity," said Omar, who joined other Democrats during a visit to the Carrizo Springs Office of Refugee Resettlement facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, near the border.

"I know that people living in these conditions are not turning on the news to see who is president, what will they be met with when they come to the border," she added. "They are thinking about what it takes for them to survive, that's the decision they're making."

Omar said the Democratic lawmakers were able to speak with some of the migrants.

"They're like, 'I just want to be treated with dignity. I don't know who the president is,' right, because the majority of people are not political animals like we are," she said. "They are looking for an opportunity to survive and thrive."

There has been a surge of illegal crossings as well as unaccompanied minors showing up at the border.

Migrants crossing the border have said in recent interviews that Biden's presidency played a part in their decision to cross the border, and some have been photographed wearing, "Biden, please let us in" shirts.

Republicans have argued that Biden's decision to rescind many of Trump's border enforcement policies coupled with his support for a pathway to citizenship for all illegal immigrants has fueled the current surge of illegal activity at the border.