Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday, nearly one week after President Joe Biden said he had “more important things going on” than traveling to the border.
“Governor Gavin Newsom has left the state. The Governor is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border to discuss immigration reform and the Newsom Administration’s commitment to supporting immigrant communities and the border region,” a statement from Newsom’s office reads.
“The Governor will return to California later today,” the statement added.
Biden traveled to Arizona on Tuesday to visit TSMC, a Taiwanese company making a major investment to manufacture chips in the state.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the trip was “about the American manufacturing boom we’re seeing all across the country.”
The last time Biden was near the border was in 2008 when he drove by, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in 2021.
When pressed on what is more important to Biden than the border, the White House told the Daily Caller that Biden’s top focus is the economy.
“The President was clear that his top priority is investing in the American economy and in American communities, out-competing China, and bringing back American jobs from overseas,” Abdullah Hasan, the White House assistant press secretary, said. (RELATED: Calculating The Biden Border Body Count)
The U.S.-Mexico border has experienced a record-breaking number of roughly 2.3 million illegal immigrant encounters in fiscal year 2022, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seen at least four personnel commit suicide in recent weeks.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that over 1,000 people crossed the border illegally Sunday night into El Paso, Texas, marking one of the largest caravans to have crossed the border.
BREAKING: A huge migrant caravan of over 1,000 people crossed illegally into El Paso, TX last night, making it the largest single group we have ever seen. The city of El Paso reports Border Patrol now has over 5,000 in custody & has released hundreds to city streets. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ewUQX757Lt
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 12, 2022
Fiscal year 2022 was the deadliest year at the border recorded in U.S. history, with over 800 illegal immigrants dying in their attempts to cross.