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WASHINGTON () — President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on border security Thursday, as he’s expected to visit the U.S.-Mexico border next week for the first time since he became president two years ago.
This comes as Border Patrol agents continue to see a surge in people arriving at the border, and the future of the Trump-era public health rule, designed to limit the spread of disease to expel asylum-seekers on the southern border, known as Title 42, faces some uncertainty.
In the speech, Biden may announce that the U.S. will extend Title 42 to Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Title 42 currently gives border officials the ability to rapidly expel migrants from Mexico, Venezuela and some Central American countries to Mexico without a chance of seeking U.S. asylum.
However, the United States plans to accept up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, U.S. and Mexican officials said Wednesday.
Biden’s visit will be in connection with his meeting next week in Mexico City with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.
“That’s my intention, we’re working out the details now,” Biden told reporters Wednesday during a trip to Kentucky.
Biden said upon his return to the White House that he hoped to see “what’s going on” at the border.
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Biden, who took office in January 2021, has struggled with record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, and migration is expected to be on the agenda at the meeting in Mexico.
The increased focus from Biden on the border also comes as the president prepares for a 2024 reelection bid. His sole declared potential rival, former President Donald Trump, rose to the top of the GOP ranks by animating the party’s base voters with his hardline stances on immigration.
But there was some praise Wednesday after the news.
“I’m pleased President Biden will finally visit our southern border – which has been completely surrendered to the cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers,” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has been a critic of administration policies.
Republicans have criticized what they say are lenient border security policies, while Biden officials say they are trying to create a more orderly and humane system.
Reuters contributed to this story.
