Speaking to the press on January 19 at the White House, when asked if he believed the US border was secure, President Joe Biden said: "No, it's not secure. I haven't believed that for the last 10 years and I've been talking about it for the last 10 years."
President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 19.
The leader was heavily criticized this month after comments about needing to “do something” at the southern border, which is facing an unprecedented surge of illegal immigrants.
Fox News quoted a source from the US Customs and Border Protection saying that the authorities had to handle 300,000 immigration detections in December 2023, the highest number in a single month ever recorded and also the first time the number exceeded 300,000.
According to the New York Post , the current administration’s policy allows nearly all illegal border crossers to wait for their asylum claims to be processed, allowing them to be granted work authorization after an initial wait. Shortly after taking office in 2021, Biden ended his predecessor Donald Trump’s policy of requiring most asylum seekers to wait in Mexico.
Early last year, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas angered Republicans by repeatedly declaring the US border secure despite record numbers of illegal border crossings. Mayorkas is now facing impeachment for alleged negligence in his statements.
Migrants climb the banks of the Rio Grande River after crossing from Mexico to the US on January 7.
In a speech on January 19, President Biden expected to reach an agreement on the border issue next week as part of broader negotiations that include aid budgets for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Republican lawmakers have blocked the passage of military aid to Ukraine in order to push for new security policies at the US-Mexico border, according to Reuters.
Trump wins election in Washington; calls for investigation into Democrats emerge
"I believe we need major policy changes at the border, including changes to the asylum system to ensure that we have the enforcement forces that we need to control the border. I'm ready to act. The question is whether the Speaker [Mike Johnson] and the Republicans in the House are ready to act," President Biden said.
It is unclear what policy changes on asylum could satisfy the White House, Senate Democrats and House Republicans.
Hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives have threatened to seek Johnson's impeachment if he brings a border security deal and aid to Ukraine to a vote, Reuters reported.
Source link
Comment (0)