President Joe Biden has visited the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas, days after his administration announced a tightening of immigration rules as the country faces a “historic” rise in asylum seekers.
The White House says the trip’s purpose was to assess border enforcement operations and support local officials in managing the current migrant situation.
On 5 January, the White House released new border enforcement actions which seek to limit illegal migration by imposing stricter consequences for offenders while opening up more pathways for legal migration.
While Biden claims his administration is working for “orderly, fair, safe, and humane” immigration policies, Republicans have criticized his lack of action in securing the border. They claim the areas he visited were “sanitized” of migrant encampments and that the trip served as a “fake photo-op.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott claims President Biden’s policies will “entice” more illegal crossings. He handed the president a letter in which he asserts the trip came two years and $20 billion too late. Abbott called on Biden to fulfill his constitutional duty to stem the “worst illegal immigration” crisis in the “history of our country.”