By Katherine Donlevy
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are jetting off to the Virgin Islands to ring in the new year, leaving the country behind to grapple with a seemingly never-ending migrant crisis.
It will be the first family’s second holiday trip in two years to St. Croix as the US deals with a deadly disaster — last year Biden enjoyed his tropical vacation while a winter blast killed dozens of people.
The commander in chief will be touching down in St. Croix Wednesday afternoon, the White House announced Saturday.
It is not clear how long Biden, 81, will spend basking in the Caribbean sun, or where he will be staying.
Last year, he and his family stayed free of charge at the multimillion-dollar beachfront villa of wealthy donors Bill and Connie Neville — who gave more than $10,000 to Biden’s 2020 campaign and were among the select group admitted to the president’s first White House state dinner.
The Bidens enjoyed the three-bedroom manse — which features an in-ground pool, lush landscaping and sweeping views of the piercing blue ocean — as a catastrophic storm dumped record-breaking snowfall in Buffalo, leaving dozens dead.
Biden could be in desperate need of the upcoming St. Croix vacation, particularly after it was revealed he would be kicking off 2024 with a lower approval rating than any of his seven predecessors at a similar point in their first term.
Just 39% of Americans like his job performance, according to a new poll.
A major driver for the disappointing numbers is the ongoing migrant crisis, which saw a massive surge at the tail end of 2023.
On Monday, US Customs and Border Protection officers encountered more than 12,600 illegal immigrants along the US-Mexico border, setting a single-day record.
The Post watched a group of about 600 migrants — including one little girl dressed up like Santa Claus — cross the border at Eagle Pass, Texas on Saturday.
A makeshift open-air transit center at the popular migrant crossing town also processed more than 10,000 people in the past few days alone.
Scores of migrants have been rushing to cross the border to beat enforcement of a new Texas law that would give law enforcement officers in the state the power to arrest anyone suspected of entering the country illegally.
The measure — set to take effect in March — makes illegally entering the country into Texas a crime.
People arrested under the law will be able to choose whether to follow a judge’s orders to leave the country or be prosecuted and face either jail or a fine up to $2,000. Repeat offenders will then be charged with a felony.
