President Biden said Tuesday he doesn’t have plans in the works to visit the United States’ southern border, where a surge of migrants trying to enter the country is putting a major strain on U.S. officials.
“Not at the moment,” Mr. Biden told reporters when asked if he has any plans to travel to the southern border.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday that the number of illegal immigrants trying to cross the border is on pace for the highest rate in the last 20 years.
“The border is secure,” Mr. Mayorkas said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We are also, and critically, sending an important message that now is not the time to come to the border.”
Still, many migrants are citing Mr. Biden’s changes to Trump-era immigration policies as reason for their attempted entry.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other House Republicans traveled to Texas to visit the state’s border with Mexico on Monday.
Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, challenged Mr. Biden, who was on his way to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to tout the newly enacted $1.9 trillion relief package, to visit the border instead to get a firsthand look.
Mr. Biden, in general, has thus far allowed Mr. Mayorkas and other officials to take the public lead on defending the administration’s policies on immigration and explaining the situation on the border.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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