Biden inspects busy port of entry along US-Mexico border
The Hindu
President Joe Biden has inspected a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border on his first trip to the region
President Joe Biden inspected a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday, his first trip to the region after two years in office as Republicans hammer him for being soft on border security while the number of migrants crossing spirals.
Mr. Biden watched as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money and other contraband. In a sign of the deep political tensions over immigration, Republican Governor Greg Abbott handed Mr. Biden a letter upon his arrival that said the “chaos” at the border was the “direct result” of the President's failure to enforce federal laws.
Mr. Biden planned to spend a few hours in the city, currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, in large part to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under new rules enacted by the Biden administration in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.
The President met with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increased trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which are driving skyrocketing numbers of overdoses in the U.S.
Also read: Biden toughens border, offers legal path for 30,000 people a month
Mr. Biden was scheduled to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether Mr. Biden would talk to any migrants.
Mr. Biden's announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years.
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