President Joe Biden offered a rather positive assessment of the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border after the expiration of Title 42.
During a bike ride on Sunday, the president was asked how he thought “things are going at the border” after the lifting of Title 42 — a pandemic-era policy that allowed officials to quickly expel migrants.
“Much better than you all expected,” Biden responded before letting out a short laugh.
When asked if he had plans to visit the border, he said, “Not in the near term, no.”
“It would just be disruptive,” he added.
Watch the video below:
“How do you think things are going at the border?”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 15, 2023
BIDEN: “Much better than you all expected. Ha ha ha.”
“Do you have any plans to visit the border?”
BIDEN: “No” pic.twitter.com/nJV3HXd4ut
Officials have been bracing for the end of Title 42 to usher in a wave of illegal border crossings with one estimate suggesting there could be 13,000 people crossing the border every day.
Before the policy expired, Fox News reported Border Patrol officials encountered 10,000 migrants crossing the border three days in a row.
Yet during a Sunday interview on CNN, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the number of Border Patrol encounters with migrants illegally crossing the border has dropped by roughly 50%.
He noted on Friday there were 6,300 encounters, and on Saturday there were 4,200 encounters.
Watch the video below:
Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas says it's too early to tell if the surge of migrants at the border has peaked following Title 42's expiration but the number of encounters with Border Patrol has dropped by 50% over the past two days. pic.twitter.com/nVoW7iy4Fq
— The Recount (@therecount) May 14, 2023
Still, Mayorkas added it is “too early” to say whether the surge of border crossings has peaked.
When asked why he believed there has been a drop in the number of encounters, Mayorkas said the administration has “communicated very clearly a vital message.”
“There is a lawful, safe, and orderly way to arrive in the United States,” he elaborated, adding, “There’s a consequence if one does not use those lawful ways.”
Mayorkas noted migrants who cross the border illegally could face a five-year ban on re-entry and criminal prosecution.