Biden news: Migrant families to be housed in hotels as White House under scrutiny over border access

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Tom Batchelor,Chiara Giordano and Alex Woodward
·2 min read
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Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base (AP)
Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base (AP)

US reporters have asked the White House whether Joe Biden’s administration will admit press to holding facilities for unaccompanied minors who crossed the US-Mexico border, as lawmakers report densely packed conditions and federal law enforcement weighs plans to send migrant families to the nation’s northern border for processing.

Administration officials say the are working to repair an immigration system “dismantled” under former president Donald Trump, whose administration expelled thousands of people seeking asylum into Mexico while their cases lapsed in the US. Mr Biden also has revoked a “zero tolerance” policy of family separation.

The administration is reportedly weighing a six-month contract to house 1,200 families in hotels in Texas and Arizona.

Mr Biden is at Camp David this weekend following a visit with Vice President Kamala Harris to Atlanta, Georgia in the wake of the killing of eight people, including six Asian American women.

“We have to change our hearts,” he said in an address to the nation on Friday. “Hate can have no safe harbor in America.”

The following days, hundreds of people, including Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, joined a rally and march in Atlanta to “stop Asian hate” – part of a nationwide series of rallies and vigils in the wake of the killings and spikes in anti-Asian discrimination and violence.

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Mr Biden and Ms Harris also met with officials at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, as the administration continues a promotional tour across the US following the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and coronavirus vaccination efforts.

The president’s “Hope Is Here” tour for the Covid-19 relief package continues this month, with another assist from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff travelling through the heartland to boost state and local support.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s son posted a mock video of the former president hitting golf balls at Mr Biden after he tripped while boarding Air Force One on his way to Atlanta.

The White House principal deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, later said Mr Biden was “doing 100 per cent fine”.

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