U.S. President Joe Biden told immigrants finding their way to the U.S. “don’t come over” as his administration tries to respond to an increase of unaccompanied children seeking asylum at the borders. 

“I can say quite clearly: don’t come over,” Mr Biden said in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, aired on March 17.

Mr Biden revealed that the immediate issue was children needing safety at the border and the administration moved to increase the number of beds available and fast track the process of placing children with U.S.-based sponsors while their legal cases play out.

The American president said his long term plan for the border included creating programs to address the factors driving people from their home countries such as violence, poverty, corruption and the climate crisis – and to allow children to apply for asylum from those countries, instead of at the border. 

On January 20, Mr Biden set aside a number  of former president Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies, such as  halting the construction of a border wall and proposing legislation to create a citizenship pathway for the nearly 11 million people living illegally in the country.

When asked if Trump’s policies being set aside encouraged the surge of migrants to the borders, Mr Biden deflected, pointing out  similar surges in 2019 and 2020.