President Joe Biden will not be visiting the Rio Grande Valley, according to a statement made by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez on Thursday.
Biden announced Wednesday that he would be visiting the Southern Border as part of his trip to Mexico City to meet with the leaders of Mexico and Canada, however the details of his border visit were not shared at that time.
Gonzalez praised Biden for making a trip to the border, his first since taking office, but he also urged the President to consider visiting the Rio Grande Valley.
“I hope this visit gives the Biden Administration a first-hand understanding (of) the challenges our communities are facing and the importance of immigration reform,” Gonzalez’s statement read. “However, I strongly urge the President to also visit the Rio Grande Valley and speak with local leaders as no two communities are the same and require different approaches and resources.
“We cannot continue to rely on antiquated systems from 10 or 20 years ago to solve the ever-evolving issues of today,” he continued. “We must continue to address the problems not just at our Southern Border, but with our immigration system as a whole.”
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso released a statement Thursday confirming that Biden had accepted her invitation to visit the West Texas city.
“I am proud to have President Biden join us at our nation’s front door to witness firsthand the depth of what we are facing and the tremendous collaboration and goodwill of El Pasoans as we continue to ask our Republican colleagues to work with us on true solutions,” the statement read.
