(ConservativeHub.com) – President Joe Biden will be at the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico on January 9 and 10. He told reporters outside Air Force One that he was planning to visit the southern border while there, marking his first trip to the struggling area. His absence at the border has become a point of contention since his inauguration.
On January 4, a reporter asked the president whether he intended to visit the border during his Mexico trip, and Biden replied that he planned to do so, explaining details were in the works. On January 5, he officially announced during a speech that he would be visiting the border and discussed issues regarding immigration. He was set to visit the border on January 8.
Biden says he intends to visit southern border on Mexico trip https://t.co/AldznDVPhr pic.twitter.com/yX0jOYOn2F
— The Hill (@thehill) January 4, 2023
The Biden administration has tried to claim the president visited the southern border, although fact-checkers have disputed this. During the November 30 press conference, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre flatly stated he had visited the border. When questioned about the details of the supposed visit, she ignored the question and spoke instead of his work on immigration reform and how the Republicans had done nothing.
The president has consistently faced criticism because he’s never staged an official visit to the area amidst the immigration crisis. He was just miles away in Arizona in early December but didn’t manage the trip. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan told Fox News that if Biden didn’t visit the border in Arizona, it would serve as an indication that he “truly abandoned the agency that works 24/7 to keep this country safe.”
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) addressed the matter on the floor of the Senate in December. He noted the president said he had more important issues to handle than a visit to the border. Cornyn argued that ignoring the problem since he took office hasn’t helped. The senator implored Biden to go there and speak with the people living under strain due to the massive influx of illegal migrants.
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