President Joe Biden dismissed concerns about the crisis at the U.S. southern border, asserting that the situation was “much better” than what people thought. During a bike ride near his beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware, on Sunday, Biden was asked about his thoughts on the border.
“Much better than you all expected,” Biden replied with a laugh. However, many have criticized Biden’s policies for contributing to the surge in illegal immigration and worsening the border crisis.
When questioned if he had any plans to visit the border, Biden declined, stating that it would be “disruptive” if he went. This statement comes after 83,000 migrants were detained last week attempting to enter the U.S. illegally – the highest in U.S. history.
“How do you think things are going at the border?”
BIDEN: “Much better than you all expected. Ha ha ha.”
“Do you have any plans to visit the border?”
BIDEN: “No” pic.twitter.com/nJV3HXd4ut
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 15, 2023
The increase in illegal immigration is due to the expiration of Title 42, a public health statute used at the border during the pandemic to limit the influx of illegal immigration. In anticipation of its end, up to 700,000 individuals, including many from Central America, were waiting at the border for admittance.
Brandon Judd, the president of a union for Border Patrol agents, revealed that last week, the total number of apprehensions surpassed 10,000 on numerous occasions. For context, Former President Barack Obama’s DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson stated in a 2019 MSNBC interview that 1,000 apprehensions of illegal border crossers “overwhelms the system” and that he could not “begin to imagine what 4,000 a day looks like.”
Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson in 2019: "I know that 1,000 [illegal border crossings] overwhelms the system. I cannot begin to imagine what 4,000/day looks like."
Last week, illegal border crossings topped 10,000/day. pic.twitter.com/tvw9O4HWWO
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 15, 2023
Senator Ted Cruz, who visited the border last week, decried the crisis, calling it “a full-on invasion.” He accused the Biden administration of encouraging mass migration into the country and disregarding the mounting death toll. As the border crisis intensifies, it remains to be seen how the Biden administration will address the situation.
