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Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, seen here in 2014, says President Biden’s delegation did not speak to anyone, not even members of Congress, during their border visit.
AP photo / the monitor
Texas Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar proclaimed President Biden for not having visited the US-Mexico border himself, saying that a recent visit by a White House delegation was insufficient.
Every president should come down [and] really spending time with border communities. You know, the president sent a delegation and a bunch of people from the White House, ”the nine-member congressman told Fox News. “They haven’t spoken to anyone, not even members of Congress down here.”
Biden’s election in November – and his administration’s hopes for a more lenient immigrant policy – has sparked waves of new migrants, many of whom are fleeing poverty and crime in Central America.
More than 100,000 officers were met by border guards on the southern border last month. Thousands of unaccompanied minors are currently being held in shelters managed by the Health and Human Services Department.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has recognized the extraordinary challenge now facing the border, but declined to call the situation a crisis.
“I don’t think we need to put new labels on what we’ve already delivered, that’s a challenge,” she said during a briefing on Tuesday.