President Biden inspected a busy port of entry along the US-Mexico border Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country. At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money, and other contraband, the AP reports. In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the "chaos" at the border was a "direct result" of the president's failure to enforce federal laws.
Just feet from Mexican soil, Biden asked how quickly border officers needed to find migrants smuggled in a vehicle before the people run out of oxygen. He asked about seizures of fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times as powerful as heroin. As he toured the facility, a large sign that said, "Bienvenido a Mexico"—"Welcome to Mexico"—hung over the Bridge of the Americas. Biden was spending just a few hours in the city, which is currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under new rules enacted by the Biden administration that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.
The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the US. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants. From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda. Venezuelan migrant Jose Castillo, who said he traveled without family members for five months from his home on Margarita Island to arrive in El Paso on Dec. 29, said Sunday he hoped Biden "will take us into consideration as the human beings we are."
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