EL PASO, Texas – President Joe Biden faced pleas for help in addressing the migrant crisis as he traveled Sunday to the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since taking office, visiting El Paso, Texas, where migrants are sleeping on the streets.
Biden walked along a section of the rust-colored border wall that separates El Paso from Juarez, Mexico, and met with local officials, community leaders and others who are dealing daily with the humanitarian crisis.
“They need a lot of resources," he told reporters who asked what he learned. "We're going to get it for them.”
Biden's trip, which lasted about four hours, comes amid criticism from Republicans and some Democratic lawmakers that he hasn’t done enough to address a surge of migrants at the southern border. From Texas, Biden departed for Mexico City for meetings with North American leaders on immigration and other issues.
The number of migrants crossing the border – some lawfully seeking asylum, others entering illegally – has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. El Paso is currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, due in part to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. Last month, El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency in response to the crisis.
As he stepped off Air Force One on Sunday, Biden was greeted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, one of the fiercest critics of the administration's border policies. Abbott handed Biden a letter dismissing his visit as a series of carefully staged photo ops and outlining five steps the administration could take to secure the border, including immediately resuming construction of the border wall in Texas.
Meanwhile, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the historic Segundo Barrio in the city’s downtown, a mix of uncertainty, hope and fear remained among the hundreds of migrants camped outside.
Men, women and small children – mostly men, many from Venezuela – staying at the church are in limbo, unable to continue to the U.S. interior and afraid they will be detained by U.S. Border Patrol if they leave the church area.
The migrants said they want Biden to give them an opportunity to stay, fearing deportation and reprisals if they are returned to Venezuela. If they can’t remain in the U.S., some said they would like to continue north to Canada.
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“We just want good news,” said Maria Rodriguez, 28, who left Venezuela four months ago with members of her family bound for the United States. “We are now stuck here (in El Paso). We don’t know what to do, where do we go. We can’t move from here (the church) because if immigration catches us, they will deport us.”
"Dude, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said El Paso resident Sergio Contreras as he stopped to take in the scene of migrants lining sidewalks outside of the Sacred Heart church. The encampment is now contained to the block where the church sits but at one point stretched over three surrounding blocks, he said.
Calling for the federal government to do more, Contreras, 44, said he helped with some cash of his own but added: "What can one person even do to help?”
El Paso has been at the center of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, said Isabel Salcido, an El Paso city council member who has previously called on the president to visit the border.
“We continue to put band-aids on bullet wounds,” said Salcido, who said she planned to emphasize to Biden the importance of assisting border communities that must deal with the consequences of Congress’ failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
The latest
- Visit to the international bridge: Biden's first stop in El Paso was at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, a busy port that connects the city with Juarez. The port has received more than $600 million in federal infrastructure funding for a makeover. With the rusted steel border fence just a short distance behind him, Biden watched a demonstration of security measures, including dogs sniffing for contraband and border patrol agents illustrating how they search hidden compartments.
- Border wall stop: Biden visited the border wall that separates El Paso from Juarez. He walked slowly along the wall with Border Patrol members and spoke with a couple of agents near a section of rusted steel mesh fencing.
- Migrant center: Biden stopped by the El Paso County Migrant Services Center, which greets people who have been released from Border Patrol and helps them find transportation and other needed services. Biden met with local officials and faith and community leaders who have been partners in managing the surge of migrants fleeing political oppression and economic collapse in their home countries. Workers showed him packages with socks, shoes, clothing and other materials. “If I could wave the wand, what should I do?” he asked. More funding is needed, they said.
- Tour of El Paso: Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who traveled with Biden aboard Air Force One, said she's grateful that Biden accepted her invitation. “It is important to me that he hear from those on the ground who are working directly with the migrants,” she said, “because border communities like ours have had to shoulder a significant responsibility that comes with this historic western hemispheric refugee crisis."
- New migrant policy: Biden has unveiled new policy steps to confront the surge of asylum seekers at the border. The policy calls for expulsions of up to 30,000 migrants a month from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba, which make up the majority of those crossing the border. Typically, these individuals would be returned to their home nations, but the U.S. has no diplomatic relationship with Venezuela and fraught ties with Nicaragua and Cuba. Mexico has agreed to accept migrants from each of the four countries.
- Why he’s going to Mexico: Biden is attending the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City, where the most significant migration to the U.S. since World War II will take center stage in two days of talks with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Besides immigration, climate change, competitiveness and security also are on the agenda. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in some of the talks.
Top takeaways
More than 2.38 million migrant stops were reported during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million. U.S. Customs and Border Protection saw an average 1,800 migrant encounters per day in El Paso in December. The agency has reported more than 50,000 migrant encounters each in October, November and December.
Dozens of people – including many who crossed unlawfully after being barred from seeking asylum at the border – continue to sleep on streets in downtown El Paso. The city has provided buses for migrants to warm up in, and local faith and nonprofit organizations are providing meals.
State and local officials fear an even bigger influx of asylum seekers if the U.S. Supreme Court ends a Trump-era public health law that allows U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants. Biden has tried to end the controversial Title 42 program, but Republicans have sued to keep the restrictions in place.
Just days before the restrictions were to expire, the Supreme Court ruled late last month that the administration cannot stop the expulsion of migrants under the program. The justices said they will hear arguments about the program in the upcoming year.
Biden’s new policy of turning back illegal migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba will stand even if the Supreme Court overturns Title 42. At the same time, the U.S. said it would accept 30,000 migrants per month from those four nations for two years if they have eligible sponsors, pass vetting and background checks and don't attempt to cross the southwest border.
Still, the new policy angered asylum and immigration advocates, who have had a rocky relationship with the president.
What they are saying
- "The federal government has been our partner on this humanitarian crisis and has provided much needed financial support as we assist with this critical federal issue. While President Biden is fully aware of the challenges we have been facing, it is always helpful to see things with your own eyes.” –El Paso Mayor Oscar Lesser
- “While I’m glad President Biden will finally come to the border, his visit can’t be a check-the-box photo-op like his border czar’s stunt more than a year and a half ago, which was unserious and unacceptable. He must take the time to learn from some of the experts I rely on the most, including local officials and law enforcement, landowners, nonprofits, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s officers and agents, and folks who make their livelihoods in border communities on the front lines of his crisis.” – Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
- "If President Biden seriously wants to address the crisis his administration created, he needs to visit McAllen, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and Laredo, and talk to the communities ravaged by crime, the ranchers who find bodies on their land, the Border Patrol who are overwhelmed, and the families who have lost loved ones due to cross-border drug trafficking. Instead, he has spent two years gaslighting the American public about how bad things really are." – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas
- "This visit is about two years too late and about $20 billion short of what needs to be done. All he's going to do down there is rearrange the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. He's not gonna achieve any of the solutions that will make the border safer, more secure and stop illegal immigration." – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in an appearance on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures
- “We are deeply disappointed at Biden’s shameful expansion of Trump’s Title 42 policy, which further cements his predecessor's anti-immigrant legacy. … All people have the right to seek asylum and life-saving legal protection, regardless of their race, nationality or current ties within the United States. Biden must make good on his promise to build a more welcoming and inclusive immigration system.” – Layla Razavi, interim executive director of the advocacy group Freedom for Immigrants
Why it matters
Biden is under pressure to detail his plans for dealing with a surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Border security is a top priority for Republicans, who took control of the House in the November midterm elections and have criticized the Democrat for not visiting the border. Republicans have also vowed to investigate the administration’s handling of the issue.
Biden said that while “extreme Republicans” will use immigration as a campaign issue, “now they have a choice. They can keep using immigration to try to score political points or they can help solve the problem...and come together to fix the broken system.”
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Contributing: USA Today’s Joey Garrison and The Associated Press
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