President Joe Biden, who is facing mounting criticism for his handling of immigration issues, said he will commit to transparency at the U.S.-Mexico border when his “plan” takes root.
“I will commit [to transparency] when my plan, very shortly, is underway to let you have access to not just them, but to other facilities as well,” he said during his first press conference since he assumed office on Jan. 20.
Biden added that he “will commit to transparency and as soon as I’m in a position to be able to implement what we are doing right now. One of the reasons I haven’t gone down [to the border], [while] all my chief folks are going down, is I don’t want to become the issue.”
He did not provide a timeline on when journalists will be allowed access to border facilities despite being asked during the press conference.
President @JoeBiden says he hasn’t visited the border because he doesn’t want to “become the issue.” pic.twitter.com/bJeMCinb6e
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 25, 2021
‘BECAUSE I’M A NICE GUY’: BIDEN SAYS HE ‘SHOULD BE FLATTERED’ BY MIGRATION SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER
The president has experienced bipartisan condemnation for his handling of an unprecedented surge at the border as migrants head to the United States in droves. Media figures have requested access to tour high-profile centers following reports that the number of unaccompanied children in federal custody continues to rise, but most petitions to the administration have been denied.
On Monday, photographs released by Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar appeared to show rampant overcrowded conditions for child migrants in a facility in Donna, Texas. The migrants, many of whom appear to be sharing a tent with dozens of other minors, can be seen laying on mats with space blankets while facing a small television.
Cuellar said the tents are dubbed “pods” and hold up to 260 people. However, one particular dormitory was home to 400 migrants at the time of the picture, he told Axios.
Authorities estimate over 117,000 unaccompanied minors will make their way into the U.S. by the conclusion of the year, and recent reports suggest many children in Border Patrol custody have been housed in jail-like facilities dubbed “hieleras,” or iceboxes.
Earlier this month, Biden administration officials said migrant children are under U.S. care for an average of 37 days, admitting that they are unable to keep up with the skyrocketing demand.
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“We are not in a place where we’re going to be able to meet the demand that we are seeing,” a Biden administration official said. “Every day, we are bringing new beds online, but it takes a lot of time, unfortunately, in terms of our licensed care-provider network. We are aggressively adding hundreds of beds by the week to our care-provider network.”
