President Biden will visit the troubled southern border for the first time as president on Sunday, amid mounting political pressure in Washington and as migrant numbers remain at historic highs.
Biden will travel to El Paso, Texas, the site of a recent surge in migrant encounters. According to the White House, he will meet with elected local officials and community leaders, as well as assess border operations.
“I understand that migration is putting a significant strain on the border and border communities,” Biden said on Thursday.
That same day, Biden formally announced the trip while unveiling a number of border initiatives, including an expanded humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans, as well as Title 42 expulsions for those nationalities.