The situation at the border escalated to its highest point in the previous week, as there was a record-breaking number of instances where individuals crossed the border unlawfully, surpassing 10,000 per day. Even President Joe Biden himself acknowledged that the circumstances could be tumultuous for a certain period.
Despite the circumstances, Joe Biden proceeded with another weekend getaway to his beach residence in Delaware. Kamala Harris, referred to as the “border czar,” also appeared to be absent. Nonetheless, the media was able to catch up with President Biden while he was cycling with the Secret Service at Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach on Sunday evening.
“It’s going to be chaotic for a while.”
— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) May 9, 2023
—Biden says even more chaos is coming to the southern border once Title 42 ends this week pic.twitter.com/POFMNzmIkn
As expected, reporters took the opportunity to inquire about the border situation, to which Biden responded with a hint of annoyance, stating, ““Much better than you all expected,” followed by a laugh.
He expressed that he had no immediate intentions of visiting the border, as he believed it would only cause disruption without yielding any significant outcomes. He mentioned that there was still much work to be done, emphasizing the need for increased assistance from Congress. It is quite audacious to attribute the years of border security failures solely to Congress and shift the blame in such a manner.
Reporter: How do you think things are going at the border, sir?
— The Recount (@therecount) May 15, 2023
Pres. Biden: Much better than you all expected ha ha.
Reporter: Do you have any plans to visit the border?
Biden: Not in the near term, no. No, it would just be disruptive, not anything else. pic.twitter.com/GXvv32APOu
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas boasted about a 50 percent decrease, but this measurement was based on comparing it to the peak surge in the middle of the week, when the numbers reached an all-time high. However, there were still thousands of individuals crossing the border every day, overwhelming the system. Therefore, Mayorkas’ claim is misleading. According to Bill Melugin’s report, the decrease in numbers was due to the efforts of Mexican and Texas authorities in intercepting people. Thus, Mayorkas and now President Biden were taking credit for the actions of others. Melugin also mentioned that CBP indicated a likelihood of the numbers rising again in the future.
In addition to border-related questions, Biden also addressed other topics, such as the negotiations regarding the debt ceiling and the election in Turkey.
