The front-runners have made competing trips, with Mr. Biden seeking compromise and Mr. Trump making inflammatory statements.
US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump made separate visits to the US-Mexico border in Texas, competing to see who would take the best approach to tackling immigration.
The two politicians' simultaneous visits Thursday, 523 kilometers (325 miles) apart on the banks of a winding border river, underscored how illegal immigration has become a hot topic ahead of a possible rematch between the two men in the November election. It highlights what is at issue. .
During a visit to the Rio Grande Valley city of Brownsville, the busiest border crossing corridor, Biden emphasized the need for a bipartisan border security bill pushed by Republicans at President Trump's order. He urged Republican front-runners to support increased funding and tighter regulations from Congress.
“Here's what I want to say to Mr. Trump,” Biden said. “Instead of playing politics with this issue, please join me in appealing to Congress to pass this bill, or I will join you in appealing to Congress.” You know, this is what this country is about. This is the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill I've ever seen. ”
President Trump met with members of the Texas National Guard who were setting up barbed wire along the riverbank in Eagle Pass, hundreds of miles northwest of Brownsville. He adopted a more combative tone.
“This is like a war,” he said. “They are being allowed into our country, and this is a terrible thing,” he said, declaring that migrants arriving at the border are “criminals” and “terrorists.”
President Trump also addressed the recent death of a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia who died while jogging on a college campus.
The main suspect in this case is a Venezuelan immigrant and is currently at the center of the immigration debate.
Trump placed the blame on Biden's shoulders. “Crooked Joe has the blood of countless innocent victims in his veins,” he said. “There are so many stories to tell, and so many scary stories.”
Strengthening of measures
The number of people crossing the U.S. border from Mexico has increased in recent years for reasons such as climate change, war, and instability in other countries and the economy.
Arrests for illegal crossings fell by half in January, but hit a record high in December.
In Washington, the debate over immigration has moved further to the right. Biden took office in 2021 promising to reverse President Trump's hard-line immigration policies, but has since toughened his own approach.
Under pressure from Republicans who accuse Biden of failing to control the border, Biden last year asked Congress for more enforcement funding and vowed to “seal the border” if given new powers to turn back migrants. Stated.
Trump, who served as president from 2017 to early 2021, has made immigration and border security his top priorities.
A Jan. 31 Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans are increasingly concerned about immigration, with 17% of respondents naming immigration as the most important issue facing the United States today, and 12% of respondents listing it as the most important issue facing the United States today. This was a significant increase from 11% in March. This was the top concern among Republican respondents, with 36% citing it as their main concern, compared to 29% who cited the economy.
