California Gov. Newsom visits California-Mexico border visit, critics call it 'political theater'

California Governor Gavin Newsome is being criticized for his recent visit to the U.S.-Mexico border amid a record-breaking surge in crossings by undocumented immigrants. 

On Monday, the governor visited the border one week ahead of the anticipated lifting of Title 42, the Trump-era immigration policy that allowed border officials to quickly expel migrants under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Newsom said that he crossed the California border to meet with local officials, international humanitarian leaders, and immigrants as the crisis at the border continues to deteriorate. 

"Here just to get an understanding, a deeper understanding, of what the world looks like pre-Title 42 and what it likely is going to look like in a few weeks post-Title 42," the Democratic governor said. 

At the border today.

CA has invested $1B to humanely support migrant communities & secure our border. We can’t do this alone.@POTUS has proposed real reform that will fix our broken immigration system—but @GOPLeader has done nothing but exploit the situation for political gain pic.twitter.com/aI0vKbpGAt

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) December 13, 2022

"Newsom toured a testing, vaccination, and resource center and was joined by the Governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda, to visit a migrant shelter in Mexicali," said Newsom's communications director Erin Mellon.

However, Newsom’s trip has received negative backlash amid suggestions that he might be running for president in 2024 and using the border visit as part a political campaign. Newsom, however, has denied that he is planning to run for president, especially if President Joe Biden is running once again. 

Fox Business’ Kennedy called Newsom’s border trip as “meaningless political theater” on Tuesday. 

"Part of what Newsom is doing is trying to contrast himself with Vice President Harris by saying, ‘Well, hey, look at me. I'm actually at the border. I'm in Mexico,’" Kennedy explained to the panel. 

Newsom’s visit to the border comes less than one week after Biden visited Arizona but skipped visiting the border, claiming he had “more important things going on.”