Top U.S. officials to visit Mexico to discuss illegal border crossings

President Joe Biden on Thursday spoke with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador about the surge of migrants at the United States’ southern border. On some days this month, the number of people entering the country illegally topped 10,000, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Biden and Lopez Obrador agreed that more enforcement was needed to stem the flow, according to the White House. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and White House Homeland Security Adviser Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall are set to travel to Mexico next week to continue strategizing with Mexican officials.

What is happening at the border? The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol on Monday closed two railroad crossings between Texas and Mexico to divert personnel to help U.S. Border Patrol agents take migrants into custody. Officials did not say how long the crossings would be closed. Officials also closed a port of entry in Arizona, a pedestrian crosswalk in San Diego, and an international bridge in Texas.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins and Bethany Morawe’s report about immigrants rushing to the Arizona-Mexico border.