White House says there’s ‘more we can be doing’ amid surge at southern border

The White House acknowledged on Thursday there’s “probably more we can be doing” to address the surge of immigrants at the southern border.

Republicans have been pressuring President Joe Biden to step up border enforcement almost from the minute he took office. Yet, with illegal crossings reaching crisis levels, some Democrats are shifting their stance as well.

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Biden shared a phone call on Thursday with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during which both agreed to combat the immigrant surge, and U.S. officials are reportedly going to visit the country in order to discuss what should be done.

“There’s probably more we can be doing,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a White House press briefing. “In order to do that effectively, you have to be in full partnership with Mexican authorities.”

Kirby and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre were both peppered with immigration-related questions on Thursday, with the NSC spokesman also saying, “The president believes that we’ve got to do better on immigration.”

Nearly 15,000 immigrants were encountered at the border on Monday, shattering records, and immigration is a big part of defense supplemental talks in Congress as the White House asks for further aid to Ukraine and Israel. Yet Congress went into recess for the holidays without a deal in hand.

Kirby’s statement appears to be a shift in the White House’s position. Previously, Biden officials tended to reference a day-one bill he introduced while blaming Republicans for not acting on it.

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Jean-Pierre also gave indications of Biden’s fresh willingness to compromise with the GOP on border security.

“Obviously, we’re having those negotiations, conversations to get more funding [for the border],” she said. “Because we understand, the president understands, that we need to do more.”