Jha Washington: Blaming his predecessor Donald Trump for the current migration crisis on the US southern border, President Joe Biden has said that an overwhelming majority of people coming to the border and crossing it are being sent back. I guess I should be flattered, people are coming because I’m the nice guy, that’s the reason why it’s happening, that I’m a decent man or however it’s phrased that, that’s why they’re coming because they know Biden’s a good guy. Truth of the matter is, nothing has changed. As many people came — 28 percent increase in children to the border in my administration, 31 percent in the last year of 2019 before the pandemic in the Trump administration, Biden told reporters at a news conference here on Thursday.

Responding to a question on the crisis at the southern border, he said it happens every single solitary year. There is a significant increase in the number of people coming to the border in the winter months of January, February, March. It happens every year. The reason they’re coming is that it’s the time they can travel with the least likelihood of not dying on the way because of the heat in the desert, number one. Number two, they’re coming because of the circumstances in the country, Biden said as he blamed Trump for the present crisis.

He (Trump) dismantled all the elements that exist to deal with what had been a problem and has continued to be a problem for a long time, Biden alleged. He in fact shut down the number of beds available. He did not fund HHS to get people to get the children out of those Border Patrol facilities where they should not be supposed to be more than a few days, a little while, but he dismantled all of that, Biden said.

He said his administration is now attempting to rebuild the system that can accommodate what is happening today. And I’d like to think it’s because I’m a nice guy, but it’s not. It’s because of what’s happened every year.

If you take a look at the number of people who are coming, the vast majority, the overwhelming majority of people coming to the border and crossing are being sent back. Thousands, tens of thousands of people who are over 18 years of age and single people one of time coming have been sent back, sent home, Biden said. We’re sending back the vast majority of the families that are coming. We’re trying to work out now with Mexico their willingness to take more of those families back. That’s what’s happening. They’re not getting across the border. And those who are coming across the border who are unaccompanied children, we’re moving rapidly to try to put in place what was dismantled, he said.

For example, of all the children who are coming across the border, over 70 percent are either 16 or 17 years old. We’re not talking about people ripping babies from mother’s arms or a little three-year-old standing on the border. I think it’s 1.5 percent fall in the category of the very young, Biden said.

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