Biden tells migrants: "Don't come" to border

U.S. President Joe Biden has discouraged migrants from coming to the nation as his administration is responding to a surge in migrants and unaccompanied minors on the U.S. southern border, reports ABC News.

President Joe Biden talks to ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on March 16, 2021. [Screenshot taken from ABC News video]

Biden said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos that his message to migrants is "don't come over." "Don't leave your town or city or community," he added.

According to ABC News, the number of unaccompanied teens and children who have been taken into U.S. custody along the U.S.-Mexico border has shot up in recent weeks. Republicans say Biden's moves to rescind former President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies have encouraged migrants to come to the country.

Biden responded to the media outlet that "we're sending back people" who cross the border.

Migrant children are seen with adults as they wait in line to get a COVID-19 test before given travel instructions at a bus station, March 17, 2021, in Brownsville, Texas. [Photo: AP]

People surround a car as it arrives carrying food donations at a makeshift camp for migrants seeking asylum in the United States at the border crossing, March 12, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. [Photo: AP]