President Joe Biden started his visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office nearly two years ago, tackling one of the most politically charged issues in the country as he prepares for a reelection bid.
Biden on Thursday announced fresh plans to block Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, expanding the nationalities of migrants who can be expelled back to Mexico, and the visit to El Paso, Texas, isn’t expected to yield any new policy breakthroughs.
“The trip is recognition that this is a serious issue, one with real hardships, but it’s also one that will only get solved with the help of Republicans, said Karen Finney, a Democratic consultant.
Republicans have continually used the border issue as a cudgel against Biden, blaming him for failing to crack down harder. And with a thin Republican majority in the House that gives the party’s hardliners greater clout, there is little hope for compromise.
Biden – joined by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas – is expected to meet at the border with Congressional lawmakers, local officials and community leaders.
The White House said the president would assess border enforcement operations in El Paso, where the Democratic mayor declared a state of emergency last month, citing hundreds of migrants’ sleeping on the streets in cold temperatures and thousands being apprehended every day.
U.S. border officials apprehended a record 2.2 million migrants at the border with Mexico in the 2022 fiscal year that ended in September, though that number includes individuals who tried to cross multiple times.
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign In or Sign Up account to post comment.