Biden’s border security announcement and visit to the border is intended in part to mitigate the impact of upcoming immigration probes promised by House Republicans.
President Joe Biden arrived today at the southern border between the United States and Mexico, his first trip to that area as head of state and after announcing changes in border policy.
Upon arrival at El Paso, Texas, which is currently the country’s largest illegal border crossing, he was met by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who hours earlier had criticized the current administration for not giving him advance notice of the president’s trip.
CBS News reported that Abbott delivered a letter to the President, the contents of which outline five ways he can address the border crisis.
Biden then visited the Bridge of the Americas port, where Customs and Border Protection officers lined up to greet him, reports The Hill.
The President is expected to meet with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increasing trade in fentanyl and other synthetic opioids that are causing skyrocketing overdoses in the United States.
He will also visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofit organizations and religious groups.
Biden’s border security announcement and visit to the border is intended in part to soften the impact of upcoming immigration probes promised by House Republicans, analysts say.
But any lasting solution will require the action of a deeply divided Congress, which has failed in recent years to bring about sweeping change.
For the first two years of his term, Republicans have criticized Biden for not visiting the border sooner and for what they see as overly lenient border policies.
Since Biden took office, the number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border has increased dramatically.
There were more than 2.38 million entries during the year ended September 30, the first time the number surpassed two million.
The policy changes announced last week are Biden’s biggest move yet to curb illegal border crossings and turn away tens of thousands of immigrants arriving at the border.
From El Paso, Biden will continue to Mexico City, where he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will meet for a North America summit on Monday and Tuesday.
(With information from Prensa Latina)
