Former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden said during a campaign stop in California that the US has an “obligation” to give free healthcare to illegal aliens.

Biden, who has previously stated that undocumented immigrants are “already American“, made the comment while responding to a reporter who asked whether “law-abiding” illegals should be given federal benefits.

“I think that anyone who is in a situation where they’re in need of health care, regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, we have an obligation to see that they are cared for,” Biden said in reply. “That’s why I think we need more clinics around the country.”

Biden also disputed the notion that many illegal aliens were coming from the Southwest border, saying that the US needs to “tone down the rhetoric” against illegals.

Joe Biden says the US should provide healthcare to people “regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented.” pic.twitter.com/19La4DEtXK — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) May 9, 2019

“By the way, a significant portion of undocumented folks in this country are there because they’ve overstayed their visas,” the former vice president said. “It’s not people breaking down gates coming across the border, so the biggest thing we got to do on this thing is just tone down the rhetoric. We know why it’s happening. It’s to create fear and concern.”

EpochTimes reports: But numbers from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) illustrate a different picture. In April, CBP agents detained 109,144 migrants, which is an increase of about 5 percent from March and the highest monthly figure since 2007. This includes more than 58,000 migrant parents and children and 8,800 unaccompanied children taken into custody, according to Homeland Security figures.

Additionally, in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector alone, more than 10,000 illegal aliens were apprehended this past week, making it one of the highest weekly total ever experienced in this sector, according to CBP. Moreover, over 7,000 illegal aliens are in custody at stations and processing centers.

Carla Provost, chief of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, said on May 8 during a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigrationthat “apprehension numbers are off the charts.”

“We cannot address this crisis by shifting more resources. It’s like holding a bucket under a faucet. It doesn’t matter how many buckets we have if we can’t turn off the flow,” she said.

In 2014, Biden, who was then-vice president, claimed that illegal aliens are “already Americans” during a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington.

“You know, 11 million people live in the shadows. I believe they’re already American citizens,” Biden said, reported The Hill. “These people are just waiting, waiting for a chance to contribute fully. And by that standard, 11 million undocumented aliens are already Americans, in my view.”