MIAMI – Miami Mayor Francis Suarez recently returned to South Florida after a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Suarez said he wanted to see the immigration crisis for himself.
Some have questioned if the trip was purely for political purposes.
Local 10 News’ Christina Vazquez asked Suarez if he is trying to telegraph that he would be open to being tapped as a vice presidential pick.
“Being chosen to be vice president in an electoral year would be a tremendous honor for any person who wants to service this country,” Suarez said. “It is particularly important in this electoral cycle because it is a one term presidency. So whoever gets selected to be vice president and ultimately elected in the November would be a potential front runner for the presidency in 2028, so certainly it would be an honor. I am not advocating for it or campaigning for it in any way, I am just trying to do my job as mayor of the city of Miami, represent the city on national issues where we are called to do so.”
Suarez also spoke about the reasons behind his border trp.
“Our visit was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Foundation,” he said. “We want to highlight what a successful city of immigrants looks like, which I think is the city of Miami.”
In Miami, a vast majority of people were not born there.
“I think that is a wonderful testament to who we are and to how a city can thrive when there is an orderly and legal process to get to this country,” said Suarez. “What we have seen unfortunately with the current administration, and I don’t even think this is a political statement because I think mayors from the Republican sides and the Democratic sides agree, that the (number of border apprehensions) are something that we have to get control of and then get a coherent solution to legal immigration and determine what we do finally with the undocumented who are here.”
The border crisis continues to be an improperly addressed issue. I was invited by @AFPhq to speak about solutions to this growing problem during a visit to the border in McAllen, Texas. There we heard from a former U.S. Border Patrol Chief about the challenges our agents face. pic.twitter.com/bu4orm3vlo
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@MiamiMayor) February 21, 2024
Suarez said a record number of Cubans have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“It is a record number of Cubans, it is a record number of Venezuelans, people throughout Central America,” he said, adding China as well. “It has to get under control. We need to have a comprehensive solution. I think we peg legal immigration to objective metrics like unemployment, like growth rate, like the declining birth rate of our country, but before you even get there, you have to secure the border. I think everyone agrees with that. It is not even a partisan issue at this point, and the border is not secure, they have dedicated the number of resources needed, border patrol are completely overwhelmed, so that is where you have to start.”
Suarez’s trip to the border came as the White House is considering an executive order that would bar migrants from seeking asylum if they crossed into the country illegally between U.S. ports of entry.