President Joe Biden has called for “major changes” to resolve the US-Mexico border dispute during ongoing negotiations.
United States President Joe Biden admitted to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday that the US-Mexico border is not safe. He also called for “major changes” on immigration. When
reporters asked him if the border was safe, Biden responded: “No, it’s not.” He spoke after addressing the executive committee in the East Room of the White House.
Biden, 81, said he hopes Senate negotiators will reach an agreement on the border issue next week as part of a larger spending bill. The $106 billion will also finance military aid to Ukraine,
Israel and Taiwan.
“The question now is [House] Speaker [Mike Johnson] and House Republicans: Are they ready to act, too?” Biden added.
“They need to decide whether they want to solve the problem or continue to weaponize the problem to score political points against the president. I’m ready to solve this problem. I really am,” he
added.”Big change, I mean it.”
Asylum policy unclear
But it’s not clear that the White House, Senate Democrats and House Republicans can all do it. Accept some changes in foreign policy. The administration’s current policy allows nearly all
immigrants who cross the border illegally to enter the United States and wait to apply for immigration, but it happens very slowly.
They will also receive a short-term work permit.
Biden, who will take office in 2021, cancelled former President Donald Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which forced most asylum seekers to stay in Mexico until the decision was made.
Mayorkas, director of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border policy, angered Republicans last year by repeatedly saying “The legal border is safe” at a time when the number of illegal aliens reached a record high.
