Joe Biden to visit Mexican border ‘at some point’, saying migrants should apply for asylum from home
- US President Biden’s administration is wrestling with a growing humanitarian crisis at the border
- The US government has ramped up ‘more aggressive’ messaging – in English and Spanish – to persuade migrants to not to go to the US
US President Joe Biden on Sunday said he planned to visit the border with Mexico “at some point” and his administration was working to ensure that potential migrants applied for asylum in their home countries.
Biden, who took office on January 20, has faced criticism from Republicans for reversing some of the hard-line policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, which they argue has led to increased numbers of migrants arriving at the border.
His administration is wrestling with a growing humanitarian crisis at the border, where the spike in the number of migrants fleeing violence, natural disasters and economic hardship in Central America is testing the Democratic president’s commitment to a more humane immigration policy.
Biden addressed the issue as he returned to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat and said he would visit the border region at some point, although he gave no specific timetable.
Asked what more could be done to convince migrant families to stop trying to cross the border, Biden told reporters: “A lot more, we are in the process of doing it now, including making sure we re-establish what existed before – which is they can stay in place and make their case from their home countries.”