SARA CARTER - STAFF - JAN 9, 2023
So much for President Joe Biden’s ‘visit’ to the southern border. Media outlets noted it was about time Biden visit the border; the first visit in his entire presidency.
However, a “visit” is an overstatement as to what actually occurred. This headline from The Center Square sums it all up:”Biden skips worst homes areas, doesn’t let with media in El Paso stop”.
While President Biden went near the border where a historic number of apprehensions are taking place, he met with only Democratic officials and avoided crucial areas.
“He didn’t visit the downtown area overrun by homeless migrants, meet with local residents impacted by the surge in illegal immigration, make formal remarks or speak with reporters” writes The Center Square.
“After the president arrived at the airport, reporters waited to speak with him and expressed their expectation to hear him give remarks, The Center Square observed. Several reporters continued to ask when the president might speak, expressing consternation about not being sure at what part of his three-hour planned visit they’d be able to ask questions.”
Here are a few additional events that took place during Biden’s blissfully ignorant trip:
The president first visited a Customs and Border Protection processing center at the Bridge of Americas. Reporters waited outside, and again asked when they’d be able to ask the president questions. Biden again made no public remarks and didn’t take questions.
Of this part of the president’s visit, KVIA News 7 reported, “While at the Bridge of the Americas, President Biden watched as a canine officer demonstrated how it could find a suitcase in a trunk. The dog went around the car once and stopped at the trunk.
“The officers pulled out a suitcase and then took out what looked like fruit and a hunk of lunch meat.
“President Biden also saw another demonstration showing how a chocolate lab could find a package of what looks like drugs or money from the backseat of a Chevy pickup.”
Joining the president were Democratic U.S Reps. Veronica Escobar, Henry Cuellar and Vincente Gonzalez, the El Paso mayor and other local officials, and several CBP agents.
None spoke with the media, but Cuellar tweeted he was meeting with the president “to discuss how to bring order to the border and treat migrants with respect as we implement a lawful path for relief.”
Biden lastly visited El Paso’s Migrant Processing Center and again didn’t make public remarks or take questions from the media.
Most notably, reports The Center Square, is that “The president never visited the actual border, where illegal crossings have escalated over the past several months, prompting El Paso’s mayor to declare an emergency and Abbott to deploy the Texas National Guard to El Paso last month.”