Biden Says He Plans to Visit U.S.-Mexico Border ‘At Some Point’
Published Date: 3/22/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
President Joe Biden says he plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border “at some point” for a first-hand look at conditions as the entry of migrants seeking refugee status in the U.S. rises sharply. The comment, made to reporters at the White House on Sunday, came after the U.S. Homeland Security secretary said he’s not worried about setting a precedent on open borders by allowing thousands of unaccompanied minors to enter the country. “At some point I will, yes,” Biden said about a border visit. Asked if he wanted to see first-hand what’s happening at overcrowded migrant processing centers, he added, “I know what’s going on in those facilities.” The president’s schedule for the coming week, released by the White House, shows no plans for a border visit through Thursday. The influx of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border has become a political liability for the two-month-old Biden administration, which reversed many of former President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies. Republicans blame Biden’s approach for encouraging a new wave of migrants while the administration says Trump left behind an inhumane and inadequate system that can’t keep up. Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. Homeland chief, spoke on four Sunday talk shows as pressure mounts over what many see as deteriorating conditions on the border. “The border is closed,” Mayorkas said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that immigration authorities are expelling families and single adults, but not children who cross the border alone. “We will not expel into the Mexican desert, for example, three orphan children whom I saw over the last two weeks,” Mayorkas said. A major focus for the Biden administration, he said, is rebuilding “orderly systems” in Mexico and Central America to discourage would-be migrants from traveling to the U.S. border. “It takes time, because the entire system was dismantled” by the prior administration, he said on “Fox News Sunday.” Biden also referred to re-establishing “what existed before.” “We are elevating our messaging, so that the individuals do know that they cannot come to the border,” Mayorkas said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” On Friday, Mayorkas traveled to El Paso, Texas, with two Democratic and two Republican senators to view first-hand the processing and housing for unaccompanied minors. That closed out a week in which the White House heard from members of both parties describing the U.S. southwest border situation as a mess. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake