Biden Says He’ll Visit Southern Border For First Time As President

Topline

President Joe Biden said Wednesday it is his “intention” to visit the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a trip to Mexico City for a summit next week, as border authorities deal with a historic migrant surge the president’s critics claim he hasn’t paid enough attention to.

Key Facts

Biden told reporters his administration is “working out the details” of the trip, centered around the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City on Monday and Tuesday.

Biden has faced criticism from both the right and the left over his border policies, with Republicans saying there need to be greater deterrents from entering the U.S. and beefed up security at the border, while progressives claim existing policies are too harsh and more resources need to be given to migrants crossing the border.

It’s not known where along the roughly 1,950-mile border the president might visit.

Big Number

2.2 million. The Border Patrol reported in October that’s how many arrests were made along the border in the previous year, setting a new record.

Key Background

One of the lingering questions throughout Biden’s presidency has been the future of Title 42, a Trump-era policy allowing for the swift expulsion of asylum seekers, which the Biden Administration officially opposes. Federal authorities have nonetheless continued to heavily rely on Title 42 for immigration control to combat the record migrant surge, though the White House says it is coming up with a new policy for when it expires. Title 42 was poised to be lifted after a federal judge in November ruled it was illegal, but the Supreme Court last week said the policy must remain until it hears arguments in February as part of a case involving 19 states that are requesting Title 42 stay in place.

Tangent

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said Tuesday the state will begin a busing program sending migrants who recently arrived in the state to large cities like New York City. Polis says many migrants have made their way to Colorado from the border but the state is not their final destination, claiming the program is a way to help them reach their intended cities. Polis is the first Democratic governor to create a busing program, after Republican governors like Greg Abbott (Texas) and Ron DeSantis (Florida) launched similar relocation programs as an apparent form of protest against Biden’s border policies.

Further Reading

Judge Ends Trump-Era Title 42 Policy Used To Expel Migrants (Forbes)

Texas Now Busing Migrants To New York City—Mayor Adams Warns City Services Stretching Thin (Forbes)

Colorado is busing migrants to New York and other major cities (Axios)

Migrant Expulsion Policy Must Stay in Place for Now, Supreme Court Says (New York Times)