EL PASO, Texas – Facing criticism that he hasn’t done enough to stop illegal border crossings, President Joe Biden heads Sunday to the U.S.-Mexico border to assess the growing crisis and review enforcement operations.
Biden’s trip to the southern border – his first since he became president two years ago – comes amid a surge in mass migration at the border in El Paso, Texas. It also comes as Biden is preparing for two days of meetings in Mexico City with North American leaders to discuss immigration and other issues.
The latest
- Where he’s going: Biden is traveling to El Paso, where last month Mayor Oscar Leeser declared a state of emergency in response to the worsening migrant crisis, which has left scores of people sleeping on the streets and has seriously strained shelter operations.
- What’s he doing: Biden will assess border enforcement operations at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry – the busiest port in El Paso – and visit a migrant services center, where he will meet with local elected officials and faith and community leaders who have been partners in managing the historic number of migrants fleeing political oppression and economic collapse in their home countries. Biden also is expected to call on Congress to fully fund his border security request and pass legislation overhauling the nation’s immigration system. Biden has requested $3.5 billion to address the humanitarian crisis at the border, but Congress provided just $1.6 billion in the funding bill approved late last month.
- New migrant policy: On the same day he announced his trip to El Paso, Biden unveiled a new migrant policy to confront the surge of asylum seekers at the border. Under the new policy, the administration will expel 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: After the trip to El Paso, Biden is heading to 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
The number of migrants crossing the U.S. border with Mexico – some lawfully seeking asylum, others entering illegally – has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office, generating a flood of criticism from Republicans who say his administration has been ineffective on border security.
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
- "Decades of Congress addressing immigration solely as a border issue, while actively shrinking legal pathways, and failing to get beyond paralyzing political gridlock has created a humanitarian crisis that is being unfairly shouldered by communities like mine. … El Paso has been the epicenter of this humanitarian crisis. We are feeling the effects of decades of failed and outdated immigration policy." –Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas
- “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
- "It’s about time President Biden visited the border to see for himself the crisis his open border policies have created." – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been a relentless critic of Biden's border policies, in a Twitter post. Abbott's office did not respond to a question on whether the Republican, who this month will begin his third term, would greet the Democratic president in El Paso.
- “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.”
Want to know more? Here’s what you missed.
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Contributing: USA Today’s Joey Garrison and The Associated Press
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