Biden says he will visit border ‘at some point’

President Biden said on Sunday that he will visit the U.S.-Mexican border “at some point” as his administration struggles with a surge of migrants, especially unaccompanied minors, at the southern border. 

Biden was asked by reporters at The White House upon his return from Camp David whether the president was thinking about going to the border, to which he responded, “At some point I will, yes.”

The president was also about why the message to migrants to stay home wasn’t resonating and whether more could be done about it. 

“A lot more,” Biden responded. “We’re in the process of doing it now, including making sure that we reestablish what existed before, which was they can stay in place and make their case from their home country.”

When asked if he wanted to see “firsthand” what was going on inside the facilities, Biden responded: “I know what’s going on in those facilities.”

Biden told reporters last week that he did not have plans to travel to the border. His administration has also faced criticism for not allowing journalists to visit migrant facilities.

In recent days, the president and administration officials have encouraged migrants not to enter the U.S., as many have flocked to the U.S.-Mexican border. 

“I can say quite clearly don’t come over,” Biden told ABC News in an interview last week. “Don’t leave your town or city or community.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas echoed that sentiment while speaking to ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, saying, “The message is quite clear: Do not come. The border is closed. The border is secure.”

The administration has faced growing criticism for its handling of the influx of migrants as the number of unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody has reached beyond 15,000 children, CBS News reported Saturday.

Republicans, in particular, have blamed the Biden administration for the surge, citing his rescission of former President Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols and the end of the border wall construction.

Biden has combated the argument that migrants are flooding to the border because of his inauguration and the loosening of the strict immigration policies of his predeccor.

“The idea that Joe Biden said, ‘Come’ — because I heard the other day that they’re coming because they know I’m a nice guy. Here’s the deal: They’re not,” Biden told CBS News last week.