Biden says he won't take executive action to secure border, wants Congress to find a fix

President Biden said he doesn't plan on taking executive action to address the record numbers of migrants coming into the United States through the southern border after indicating that he might, following failed efforts to find a legislative fix. 

Biden was asked Monday about the possibility of unilaterally adding safeguards to the U.S.-Mexico border, a move that would be reminiscent of controversial actions taken by former President Donald Trump when he took office. 

"I'm counting on the border action happening by itself, them passing it," he told reporters on Air Force One after visiting New Hampshire, referring to a legislative fix to the problem. 

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President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Monday after returning from a trip to New Hampshire.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden appeared to be considering executive action to tackle the ongoing border crisis after a bipartisan Senate bill failed to gather the proper support. An administration source previously told Fox News that the president was considering executive action to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum, but that it’s one of "several" plans being looked at.

On Monday, when a reporter reminded Biden that Congress can't come to a bipartisan agreement, he said: "Well they haven't yet, they haven't yet. I'm helping them."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

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Upon taking office, Biden revoked dozens of executive orders issued by Trump to secure the southern border. At the time, the moves were praised by immigration activists and Democrats. 

The president has repeatedly blamed Republicans for the border bill's failure, accusing the GOP of putting partisan politics ahead of national security. 

"No executive action, no matter how aggressive, can deliver the significant policy reforms and additional resources Congress can provide and that Republicans rejected," White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said last month. "We continue to call on Speaker [Mike] Johnson and House Republicans to pass the bipartisan deal to secure the border."

President Joe Biden walks with U.S. Border Patrol agents along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.  (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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Nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border under President Biden's watch, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states, a Fox News analysis found.

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.