Biden’s ancestors left Ireland ‘because of what the Brits had been doing’

US President Joe Biden looks at a bowl of shamrocks from Ireland on St Patrick's Day. Picture: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Joe Biden said that his ancestors left Ireland “on a coffin ship” because of “what the Brits had been doing”.

The US President’s comments came during a press conference at which Mr Biden was asked about migrants entering America.

Mr Biden’s Irish heritage can be traced back to Ballina in Co Mayo and the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth.

The president was speaking at his first news conference since taking office, where questions about the border were asked.

Mr Biden was pushing back against suggestions his administration’s policies are responsible for the rising number of people seeking to enter the country.

When asked about how to keep families from coming across the border when things will not get better in their countries right away, Mr Biden highlighted the migration of his ancestors.

“When my great grandfather got on a coffin ship in the Irish Sea, [the] expectation was, was he going to live long enough on that ship to get to the United States of America?

“But they left because of what the Brits had been doing. They were in real, real trouble.

They didn’t want to leave. But they had no choice.

“I can’t guarantee we’re going to solve everything, but I can guarantee we can make everything better.

“We can make it better. We can change the lives of so many people.” 

Mr Biden highlighted how people living south of the US border do not attempt to cross it for fun.

The situation along the US-Mexico border has become an early challenge for the administration, drawing more questions than any other subject at the maiden news conference, and diverting attention as the administration addresses the pandemic and the economy.

A hole cut into Southern California's border fence with Mexico earlier this month. Picture: US Customs and Border Protection via AP

The number of migrants attempting to cross the border is at the highest level since a spring 2019 surge under Mr Trump, according to the most recently released statistics. 

The numbers appear to be rising and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently warned they are on pace to hit a 20-year peak.

Mr Biden sought to portray it as a seasonal spike and not, as critics have said, a result of moves such as his decisions to halt construction of border wall projects started under Trump or support for broad immigration legislation.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden said that it is his “expectation” that he will run for re-election in 2024.

He is 78 years old and already the oldest president to hold office.

If re-elected, he would be 82 at the start of a second term.

Mr Biden was asked at the news conference whether he thought he could face a rematch against Donald Trump.

Mr Biden scoffed at the question, adding: “Oh, I don’t even think about it. I have no idea.”