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Top Biden administration officials meet with Mexican president amid record migrant crossings
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President Biden dispatched top officials to Mexico City this week as migrants are crossing the U.S. border in record numbers and Congress has been unable to reach a consensus on funding border security.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Mr. Biden’s homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall traveled to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as unauthorized crossings have strained federal and local resources in communities across the U.S.
Blinken “will discuss unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere and identify ways Mexico and the United States will address border security challenges, including actions to enable the reopening of key ports of entry across our shared border,” the State Department said ahead of the visit.
The White House said last week that Mr. Biden spoke to López Obrador on Thursday about “ongoing efforts to manage migratory flows in the Western Hemisphere.” The two leaders “agreed that additional enforcement actions are urgently needed so that key ports of entry can be reopened across our shared border,” the White House said.
The visit comes after Border Patrol processed nearly 50,000 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally in just five days last week. In November, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 191,000 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully. This month, as many as 10,000 migrants were apprehended daily at the southern border.
Mexico’s president said last week he’s willing to help address the issue, but he wants the U.S. to provide more aid to the region and ease sanctions Cuba and Venezuela.
“We have always talked about addressing the causes [of migration]. The ideal thing is to help poor countries,” López Obrador said, according to the Associated Press.
In the U.S., Congress has debated border policy changes for weeks as part of a larger package including assistance to Ukraine and Israel. To convince Republicans — who want harsher border security measures — to support more foreign aid, Democrats are considering drastic limits on asylum and increased deportations.
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Tulane students build tiny home for man who has been homeless for nearly two decades
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Biden tells congressional Democrats he is “firmly committed” to staying in 2024 race
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Washington — President Biden on Monday sent a letter to congressional Democrats saying that he is “firmly committed” to staying in the race and making clear that he wouldn’t be running again if he “did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
Lawmakers are returning to Washington this week after a July 4 recess, which came as questions about Mr. Biden’s ability to serve another term roiled the political sphere following a disastrous debate performance last month. A slow leak of Democratic lawmakers have since called on Mr. Biden to step aside from the race. But the president has been clear that he will not drop out.
In the letter, the president cited the votes he received in the primaries so far, saying “the voters of the Democratic Party have voted,” and selected him as their presumptive nominee.
Mr. Biden said the question of “how to move forward” had been aired for more than a week, saying it’s “time for it to end.”
“We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” he said. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”
This is a breaking story. It will be updated.
Ed O’Keefe contributed to this report.
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Some doctors recommending Apple Watches to manage health conditions
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