White House aide Cecilia Muñoz is facing criticism from both sides of the political aisle as Congress debates action on the crisis of Central American children flooding the southern border.
A
story by Eleanor Clift for The Daily Beast notes that Muñoz , a longtime civil rights and immigration advocate, has alienated some of her old allies in the fight to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
America's Voice founder Frank Sharry told Clift he still considers Muñoz a friend, "but there’s a hiatus in our relationship. I’m on the black list, too critical of the White House."
A recent Washington Post story blamed Muñoz for not alerting Congress of the impending flood of unaccompanied children entering the United States. Sharry placed blame on a "diabolical marketing scheme" by smugglers, who tell families the children will be granted permission to stay in the United States.
Sharry opposes Obama's message encouraging the children not to come. Muñoz backs the president's position.
"It is terrifying to think of putting children in the hands of smugglers who are lying to them and saying once you get to the U.S. there’s free passage," Muñoz told the Beast.
Earlier this month, Muñoz
told MSNBC that as soon as it became obvious that the numbers were going to rise drastically, Obama "called out the entire federal government to respond."
Despite the left's opposition of Obama's position, Ben Johnson of the American Immigration Council said it is likely that the White House would have taken a tougher stance had Muñoz not been on the job.
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