President Biden on Thursday defended his administration as he faces criticism over a surge of unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border that’s led to the overcrowding of holding facilities, rejecting suggestions that the migration influx is a result of overly lenient policies.

Speaking during his first press conference as president, Biden said the surge in unaccompanied minors seeking access to the U.S. is not happening because he’s a “nice guy,” noting that no one labelled former President Donald Trump as such when there was an uptick in unaccompanied minors on his watch in 2019.

“I guess I should be flattered,” said Biden, continuing: “Truth of the matter is nothing has changed … it happens every single year.”

Reiterating what have become common talking points from his administration, Biden said blame for the surge falls on seasonal patterns, dire circumstances in Mexico and the Central American countries that migrants are fleeing, and the Trump administration’s “dismantling” of long-standing U.S. immigration practices.

“The idea that I’m going to say, which I would never do, if an unaccompanied child shows up at the border, we’re going to let him starve to death at the other side, no previous administration did that either, except Trump,” Biden said, referencing the sweeping moves made by the previous administration to block migrants from applying for asylum at the start of the pandemic.

Biden also commented on the conditions inside border facilities, which have come under scrutiny in recent days after photos showed children packed together in makeshift “pods,” labelling them “unacceptable” and highlighting that his administration is focused on finding new space.