White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked if President Joe Biden has “ever” visited the U.S.-Mexico border as thousands of migrants have gathered in Del Rio, Texas, to seek asylum.
During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked, “Has President Biden ever been to the southern border?”
“In his life? I will have to look back in my history books and check the times he’s been to the southern border,” Psaki responded.
Doocy noted, “We have been looking all morning and we cannot find any record of him visiting the border as president, vice president, senator, or even as a concerned citizen.”
He asked, “Why would that be?”
Psaki said she will check “when he may have been” to the border and asked why Doocy why he wanted to know.
He explained that Biden regularly “makes a point” after a natural disaster to visit the communities impacted to learn what the needs are so he can make informed decisions. He asked, “Why doesn’t he go down to Del Rio, Texas, and see what’s going on?”
Psaki said the situation at the border is the result of a “broken system” and that Biden “relies on his experience” in trying to address the root causes of immigration and support immigration reform.
“So all of his experiences and his time in office, whether vice president or Senate, inform his approach to issues,” she added.
Watch the video below:
DOOCY: "Has President Biden ever been to the southern border?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 22, 2021
PSAKI: "In his life? I will have to look back in my history books and check…"
DOOCY: "We have been looking all morning and we cannot find any record of him visiting the border…" pic.twitter.com/snZTsXeksp
Biden recently visited Louisiana, New York, and New Jersey to survey damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
Doocy’s question comes as thousands of migrants, many are from Haiti and are seeking asylum, have gathered in encampments in Del Rio, Texas, to wait for immigration officials to process them.
The Associated Press reports that many of those migrants have been released into the U.S. with notices to appear at an immigration office within 60 days. According to the outlet, the release of migrants with notices to appear has been happening on a “very, very large scale.”
