Speaker Johnson Says Securing Border ‘Can Wait No Longer,’ Urges Biden to Act

The House speaker said President Biden is directly to blame for the border crisis, pressing him to take immediate action to address the problem.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 12, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is urging President Joe Biden to take immediate executive action to stem the surge of illegal immigrants at the U.S.–Mexico border, where he said U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is “at breaking point.”

“The crisis at our southern border has deteriorated to such an extent that significant action can wait no longer. It must start now, and it must start with you,” the speaker wrote in a Dec. 21 letter (pdf) to the president.