President Joe Biden said Wednesday he intends to visit the troubled US-Mexico border, where authorities have long struggled to stem the flow of undocumented migrants.
"That's my intention," Biden said during a visit to Kentucky. The Democrat has come under constant criticism from Republicans for not traveling to the border in the first two years of his presidency.
It was not clear what the timing would be or where he would go on the border, which is more than 1,900 miles (3,057 kilometers) long. However, Biden is traveling to Mexico City next week for a North American leaders' summit alongside his Canadian and Mexican counterparts.
The border and what the Democrat's own administration calls a "broken" immigration system has been at the heart of some of the fiercest political battles in the country for years.
Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump rose to power in 2016 in large part on his message that criminals, including rapists and murderers, were pouring across the border. The incendiary rhetoric struck a chord in communities already nervous about crime or loss of jobs.
Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020, took office vowing to restore traditional US values at the border, giving refuge to asylum seekers and ending harsh detention policies for illegal border crossers.
The Covid-19 pandemic has played its own role in the debate, with an ongoing legal battle over whether health restrictions used to stem the flow of undocumented arrivals -- allowing their immediate expulsion -- should remain in place.
The issue is one of Biden's main political weaknesses as he prepares for what aides say will be his likely announcement of seeking a second term in office.
Border guards are often overwhelmed with streams of would-be migrants or asylum seekers -- many from Haiti, Venezuela and even further afield who arrive after epic journeys overland through Latin America.
Fox News has been producing near daily reports on the crisis, with the powerful network's right-wing commentators accusing Biden of abandoning the border.
The White House says the situation can only be solved by Congress, where Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been unable to reach consensus on immigration reforms.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
