Competing visits by Biden and Trump to the border with Mexico. What promises were made?
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have made competing visits to the US border in Texas. They argued that they were able to solve the pressing problem of migration.
The Texas border issue is one of the most polarizing in American politics and will be of key importance for this year's presidential elections. The likely frontrunners for their party's 2024 nomination were about 300 miles apart in Texas – Biden was in Brownsville and Trump was visiting Eagle Pass. Immigration has dominated the early part of the 2024 campaign, with both candidates pointing fingers at each other on the issue.
Donald Trump on “Biden's migrants”
Joe Biden accused his Republican rival – who spoke about the “very dangerous” situation at the border – of hindering his efforts to normalize the situation at border crossings. Trump promised to “tackle” the issue of illegal immigration if re-elected. He previously promised mass deportations if he came back to power.
House Republicans have blocked bipartisan border reforms, and Democrats say it is an effort planned by Trump to deny them an election victory.
The issue is in the spotlight because more than 6.3 million migrants have been apprehended illegally crossing the U.S. border during Biden's term, more than during previous presidencies.
However, experts say the reasons for this increase are complex – some factors predate his rule and are beyond American control.
In his speech, Trump said that “thousands” of migrants from the Middle East and Africa are crossing illegally from Mexico. In fact, most of them come from Latin America. He also used the phrase “Biden's migrant crime,” even though there is no national data to support migrant-driven crime waves in U.S. cities.
