Former Mexico envoy slams Biden team for delayed border response in new book

Ken Salazar, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico, released "Borderlands" criticizing the Biden administration for waking up too late to the border and migration challenges. He maintains that the team’s focus on Europe and Asia left the Western Hemisphere neglected, resulting in a communications vacuum that Republicans exploited. Salazar describes a moment when he was left out of a crucial meeting on a border-and-migration czar, prompting a last-minute private audience with President Biden to press for a dedicated coordinator.

He points to a June 2024 executive order that reduced crossings but notes the lack of public messaging on its success. Salazar proposes a "Borderlands Platform" calling for a new North American alliance with deeper security ties, labor mobility, and trade investment, and he urges Democrats heading into 2028 to make border policy a central issue.