Biden to visit U.S.-Mexico border for 1st time as president

President Biden said Wednesday that he is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border during a North American leader's summit in Mexico City next month.

This would mark Biden's first visit to the southern border during his presidency.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during a trip to Kentucky, Biden was asked if he was planning to head to the border during the summit. "That's my intention, we're working out the details now," the president replied. Following his return to the White House, Biden added that he wanted to "see what's going on" at the nation's southern border.

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Biden also said that he is planning to make additional remarks about his border policy this coming Thursday.

Immigration is expected to be a key part of the upcoming summit, according to The Associated Press, where Biden will join Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. It is unclear if these two will accompany Biden to the border.

Biden's decision to visit the border comes following a prolonged period of criticism from Republicans regarding his administration's immigration policies. Even as the pandemic-era Title 42 remains in place, which allows Americans to turn away asylum seekers on a public health basis, there have been large increases in the number of migrants at the border during the Biden era.

While Vice President Kamala Harris visited the southern border in June 2021, the incoming Republican-led House committees are still likely to make immigration a key part of their oversight.