Harris meets with Mexican president to discuss immigration
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Biden administration says the latest numbers show border officials have a better handle of the migrant situation, particularly when it comes to unaccompanied minors.
In a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the U.S. and Mexico are working together to address the root causes of immigration.
"Most people don't want to leave home and when they do it is often because they are fleeing some hard or they are forced to leave because there is no opportunity," said Harris.
The Biden administration believes improving the situation in Central America will decrease irregular migration.
During a tour of border facilities in Donna, Texas, officials told lawmakers and the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security that the situation involving unaccompanied children has vastly improved.
"Today at this facility, rather than approximately 3,700 unaccompanied children, there are 334," said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "Rather than a custody period of approximately 139 hours, they are here for approximately 24 hours."
Those improvements mean the Biden administration is now meeting legal requirements to quickly process minors out of border facilities. But Republican lawmakers like Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) said that doesn't mean fewer migrants are arriving.
"The surge has not stopped. What that's also telling you is they're taking their agents off of the front lines to process these people," McClain said.