President Joe Biden said he intends to visit the U.S.-Mexico border as well as deliver a speech on immigration security.
The Democratic leader has been consistently criticized by Republicans for not traveling to that border in the first two years of his presidency.
Biden did not elaborate on the date of that visit. Next Monday he will be in Mexico for a summit with the Mexican and Canadian leaders.
The issue of immigration is particularly sensitive for the White House, which is currently working to put in place a sustainable strategy that will allow it to control arrivals at the 3,000-kilometer-long U.S. border with Mexico.
Biden’s immigration policy
Until now, the immigration policy of the Biden administration has largely depended on a measure implemented by former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021), which was applied at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and severely restricts entry to the territory citing health problems.
This legal instrument, known as “Title 42,” has been the subject of several court battles. The Supreme Court decided to keep it on December 27, pending a decision on the merits next spring.
The immigration crisis on the southern border is one of the favorite topics of the Republican opposition, which criticizes Biden for being blind in the matter and the president, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, who are present there.
Human rights activists criticize the validity of the measure, which among other things allows the immediate expulsion, without legal recourse, of migrants.
Many U.S. states are warning of a sharp influx of migrants once “Title 42” is lifted, as illegal arrivals at the Mexican border are already breaking all-time records, with more than 200,000 apprehended in November alone.
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