This border problem has to be exposed for what it is, a terrible tragedy that is hurting millions of people.

From The Center Square. On his first trip to the southern border since he’s been in office, President Joe Biden met with Democratic officials in El Paso, where record apprehensions are taking place. He didn’t visit the downtown area overrun by homeless migrants, meet with local residents impacted by the surge in illegal immigration, make formal remarks or speak with reporters.

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After the president arrived at the airport, reporters waited to speak with him and expressed their expectation to hear him give remarks, The Center Square observed. …

The only official who spoke with reporters and answered their questions was Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Abbott, who wasn’t included in Biden’s visit to Texas, arrived at the airport and waited to speak with the president. Sitting below Air Force One, he waited for the president to debark the plane. After descending the stairs, Biden shook hands with Abbott and accepted a letter the governor gave him. In it, Abbott later said he listed five actions the president could take to immediately secure the border.

They spoke briefly, after which the president left with Democratic officials. Abbott then made a point of speaking with reporters and answering their questions.

The president first visited a Customs and Border Protection processing center at the Bridge of Americas. Reporters waited outside, and again asked when they’d be able to ask the president questions. Biden again made no public remarks and didn’t take questions.

Of this part of the president’s visit, KVIA News 7 reported, “While at the Bridge of the Americas, President Biden watched as a canine officer demonstrated how it could find a suitcase in a trunk. The dog went around the car once and stopped at the trunk. …

Biden lastly visited El Paso’s Migrant Processing Center and again didn’t make public remarks or take questions from the media.

The president never visited the actual border, where illegal crossings have escalated over the past several months, prompting El Paso’s mayor to declare an emergency and Abbott to deploy the Texas National Guard to El Paso last month. …

Prior to the president’s arrival, Abbott tweeted Sunday morning, “President Biden’s border visit today is to a sanitized version of El Paso. . . . Texas will continue our historic border mission to protect our state.” …

El Paso native and president of the Border Security Coalition, Irene Armendariz-Jackson, said the president’s trip and “the El Paso that will be shown to the media is not the real El Paso that we live in every day. They’ve spent days clearing out the illegals, cleaning up the trash and making it look like we’re not in crisis. WE ARE IN A CRISIS.” …

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(Excerpt from The Center Square. Photo Credit: Greg Bulla on Unsplash)