President Joe Biden declined to commit to a date when journalists would be allowed access to federal facilities housing unaccompanied minors seeking asylum at the southern border.
Biden promised reporters “full access to everything once we get this thing moving” during his first presidential press conference on Thursday, which is taking place as his administration wrestles with a surge in migration along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Asked when this might occur, Biden told reporters, “I don’t know.”
KAMALA HARRIS GIVEN LEAD ROLE OVER BORDER BY PRESIDENT BIDEN
The White House has so far refused media access to overcrowded Border Patrol facilities, where children have been kept beyond the three-day limit before being transferred to Health and Human Services facilities.
One broadcast network camera was permitted to accompany a delegation that toured a Trump-era temporary housing facility on Wednesday, but requests for further access have not been granted.
The president was also asked whether he views the escalating situation at the border, specifically overcapacity at the facilities housing migrant children, as “acceptable.”
“That’s a serious question, right?” Biden responded. “Come on. That’s why we’re going to be moving 1,000 of those kids out quickly. That’s why I got Fort Bliss opened up. That’s why I’m working from the moment this started to happen.”
White House officials held a conference call with reporters earlier in the day, stepping into a defensive posture ahead of Biden’s press conference.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The White House on Wednesday tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with stemming the border crisis.
