Biden not scheduled to visit border during Arizona trip, says 'more important things going on'

President Joe Biden said Tuesday said he is not scheduled to go to the U.S.–Mexico border during his trip to Arizona because his visit to a manufacturing plant is "more important."

When Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, amid the whirr of the Air Force One helicopter, why he did not have plans to visit the border during his trip to Phoenix, the president replied: "Because there are more important things going on. They’re going to invest billions of dollars in a new enterprise."

Biden will visit the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing chip plant in Arizona after the company pledged to invest $40 billion in the operation, making it one of the largest foreign investments in U.S. history, Reuters reported.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later attempted to clarify Biden's response, during a gaggle aboard Air Force One on the way to Arizona.

"When the president first walked into the administration, the first thing he did was insist on an immigration reform legislation and that showed his commitment about dealing with that issue." she said. "The president was clear that his top priority is investing in the American economy and the American community. The president has taken action to secure our border and build a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer encounters hit a record of 2.37 million at the southern U.S. border during the last fiscal year, according to agency data. 

Republicans argue the situation is a crisis that the Biden administration has failed to fix. 

Jean-Pierre on Tuesday also criticized Republicans for "political stunts at the border," alluding to how GOP governors are busing migrants to liberal-ran cities to deal with heightened migration levels.