Kevin McCarthy demands meeting with Biden to discuss growing border crisis

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has requested a meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss the growing number of unaccompanied children crossing the US-Mexico border, Axios reports.

The number of unaccompanied children crossing the border into the United States has skyrocketed since Biden took office in January. According to leaked documents from the Department of Health and Human Services, 321 children were crossing the border by themselves on a daily basis, compared to just 47 at the beginning of January.

The report also revealed that the shelter system for migrant children is nearing full capacity, and is expected to be overflowing with children by the end of the month.

"I feel compelled to express great concern with the manner in which your administration is approaching this crisis, but with hope that we can work together to solve it," McCarthy wrote in a letter to the President.

The Biden administration has not described the ongoing situation at the border as a crisis, but has instead responded by opening new facilities for migrant children, a move which has been criticized by both progressives who are seeking a more lax border police, and conservatives who believe the Biden administration's actions amount to hypocrisy given the outcry when children were detained in facilities under former President Donald Trump.

Biden is now sending some of his top officials to the southern border sot that they can "provide a full briefing to him on the government response to the influx of unaccompanied minors." He has also organized a phone meeting with the President of Guatemala, one of the most common countries of origin for illegal immigrants coming to the United States, "to develop an effective and humane plan of action to manage migration."

McCarthy also criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to discourage migrants from coming to the United States, citing a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas telling migrants "we are not saying don't come, we are saying don't come now."

"To be clear—there is never a 'right time' to enter the country illegally and violate the laws of the United States. Signaling otherwise is reckless and will make the situation worse," McCarthy opined.

Former DHS Secretary Chad Wolf levelled similar criticism against the administration, arguing that the administration's message is too "nuanced" for those seeking to enter the United States, or bring others to the United States, illegally.