Mitt Romney accuses Trump of delaying border legislation 'because he wants to blame Biden'

One Republican senator says former President Donald Trump is making the problems at the Southern border worse by pressuring other Republicans to stop any legislative fixes until after the election in November.

In a recent interview with CNN, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — who ran for president as the 2012 Republican nominee — slammed Trump for exacerbating problems in the US immigration system.

"I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump," Romney told congressional reporter Manu Raju. "And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn't want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling."

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"We have a crisis at the border. The American people are suffering as a result of what's happening at the border," he added. "And someone running for president ought to try to get the problem solved as opposed to saying 'hey, save that problem, don't solve it. Let me take credit for solving it later.'"

According to the department of Customs and Border Protection, there were more than 300,000 border crossings in December — a record high. The Rio Grande River crossing at Eagle Pass is particularly dangerous, with three migrants — including two children — drowning there earlier this month. Alicia Barcena, who is Mexico's secretary of foreign affairs, said last month that the traffic at the US/Mexico border can be attributed to root causes like "poverty, inequality, violence and family reunification."

A legislative solution to the US' border security is still in the works, as some members of Congress want to tie funding for Ukraine's ongoing defense of its own borders against Russian aggression with US border funding. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said the politics of the November election has complicated that approach — a possible reference to Trump's meddling in legislative negotiations. Democrats have argued that border security should instead be addressed by revising the US' antiquated immigration system.

"Our country has failed our immigrant neighbors," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan). "Our immigration system is so broken that many families are waiting 10 to 20 years to get interviews scheduled. It has been 28 years since Congress passed immigration reform. We have a responsibility to act."

READ MORE: 'I will not help the Democrats': GOP rep says he'll torch border deal to deny Biden a win

Watch the video of Romney's remarks below, or by clicking this link.