Biden administration officials went on the defensive against immigration questions likely to dominate President Joe Biden’s first White House press conference, again blaming former President Donald Trump over problems at the border and insisting it is being transparent after allowing a TV camera crew to visit a facility.
A surge of migrants on the southern border has had the Biden administration on the defensive ever since it took office.
And questions about why team Biden was not better prepared are likely to dominate his overdue first appearance at a solo question-and-answer session with reporters.
Two hours before Biden was expected to appear in the East Room, officials briefed reporters and claimed the influx of minors began in April of last year, but the Trump administration failed to respond properly.
MIGRANT GIRLS HELD OVER 20 DAYS IN BORDER PATROL TENT
“They were expelling children until a court shut that down, and they had to start processing, as required by the law,” a senior administration official said. “The Biden transition team did make clear that influx facilities were going to be needed, but they did not initiate that process until Jan. 15.”
“So when we’re asked why we did not stand up at facilities fast enough, it’s because we were not in charge until Jan. 20,” the senior official added.
Border officials forecast that some 117,000 unaccompanied children will arrive this year. The number is higher than the 68,000 who arrived during the 2014 surge and the 80,000 who arrived during the humanitarian crisis at the border in 2019.
Biden officials insist the increase is not due to a perception that the new administration is softer on immigration than Trump.
Getting ready. pic.twitter.com/C4S4xybkz4
— Meghan Hays (@MegHays46) March 25, 2021
At the same time, the president is likely to be grilled on his promise to be transparent with the public and whether refusing access for journalists to border facilities is consistent with that messaging.
On Wednesday, a single camera crew was allowed to accompany a White House delegation to a facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, where migrant children are being detained.
A second official said the COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for the lack of access.
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“We are committed to transparency, but we’re also committed to putting the health and safety of our workforce and those in our custody first,” she said.
