(NewsNation) — As the number of migrants arriving at the southern border continues to grow, at least one Arizona law enforcement official is expressing disappointment with President Joe Biden’s decision to not visit border communities during a planned visit to the state.
Biden on Tuesday will visit the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company microchip plant in Phoenix, where he is expected to talk about his plans to increase semiconductor manufacturing in Arizona and discuss how he plans to address supply chain bottlenecks.
There are no plans for Biden to visit border towns, which have seen an influx in migrants during the past two years.
Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot says his department is seeing 900 to 950 migrant encounters each day in a county of only 200,000 people. He says the administration practices a pattern of intellectual avoidance to what is going on the border, and while he is disappointed Biden won’t be visiting any border communities, he isn’t surprised.
“The commander in chief is solely responsible for this,” Wilmot said. “I mean he is the one that says yea or nay, and shame on him for not wanting to engage with the local communities to do what’s right.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week Biden has been to the border and says since he took office he’s been taking action to fix the immigration system and secure the border.
In fact, Biden has not visited the border even once in his political career. The closest he’s gotten was driving through the El Paso, Texas, area on the campaign trail in 2008.
“If they were to see what was going on, then he would have to take action,” Wilmot said. “It would be demanded of him to take action and to be responsible to those that he serves.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas maintains that the border is secure, despite a record number of migrants who have evaded law enforcement and record encounters.
Now, law enforcement along the border is bracing for the end of Title 42 restrictions, a health order that allowed authorities to expel some 2.4 million asylum-seeking migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a shame. I mean how else do you put it?” Wilmot said. “A lot of people are getting numb to the fact that this administration is not going to step up and do their job.”