Border Visit: 6 key factors emerge as Joe Biden and Donald Trump compete over immigration issue

Six key factors emerge as Joe Biden and Donald Trump compete over immigration issue during dueling border visits

President Joe Biden and his political opponent, former President Donald Trump, have embarked on a dual visit to Texas, a state at the focal point of a worsening border crisis caused by an influx of undocumented immigrants. The trip to the Lone Star State on Thursday, February 29, provided a taste of how the potential presidential candidates would handle the simmering issue of immigration. With only a few months left until the 2024 election, let's take a look at how Biden and Trump will compete over the polarizing immigration crisis given their visits to Texas.

1. Immigration takes center stage in 2024 presidential election

The focus of Trump's presidential campaign has been the escalating situation at the southern border, where an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants are entering the US. The fact that Biden and the Republican front-runner visited Texas at the same time, indicates that the issue could be a deciding factor in the November election. While Trump reaffirmed his prior claims that the migrants were terrorists and criminals, Biden emphasized the need for a bipartisan border deal. Biden even went so far as to request that instead of waging a political battle, Trump work with Congress to enact the legislation.

2. Trump and Biden engage in a blame game

The former president and Biden engaged in a blame game during their very important visit to Texas. Accompanied by Texas Governor Greg Abbot, Trump asserted that the rise in high-profile crimes is due to Biden's failed policies. The GOP presidential candidate cited Georgia student Laken Riley's murder by a Venezuelan migrant to justify his claims. Biden, meanwhile, accused Trump of discouraging the Republican lawmakers from supporting the long-sought bipartisan border security bill.

3. Trump and Biden choose different locations to visit

While Trump chose to visit Eagle Pass, Biden traveled to Brownsville. Eagle Pass is approximately 325 miles northwest of Brownsville. Governor Abbot joined Trump at Eagle Pass, an epicenter of the state's standoff with the Biden administration. Border Patrol agents were blocked from certain parts of the place earlier this year. Eagle Pass is now filled with state troopers along with long lines of migrants, buses, and razor wires. On the other hand, Abbot criticized Biden for visiting a "sanitized location" that cannot give the proper picture of the border crisis. Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas backed the President's visit to Brownsville, stating it "provides a very good glimpse of how dynamic and challenging the migration phenomenon is."

4. Impeached Alejandro Mayorkas joins Biden

Alejandro Mayorkas accompanied Biden to Texas after he was impeached as Secretary of Homeland Security. Flying with the President on Air Force One, he stood beside Biden and spoke to reporters. "Though Congress has not yet provided the resources we need, [the Department of Homeland Security] will continue to enforce the law and work to secure our border," Mayorkas said as per The Hill. The GOP-controlled House impeached him on February 13. However, the White House insisted he continue with business as usual, emphasizing the impeachment would not affect his work.

5. Biden refrains from announcing executive actions

Biden steered clear of announcing any executive actions to curb the migrant influx in his crucial visit to the southern border. After the failure of the bipartisan Senate border deal, the President was reportedly planning to use executive authority to restrict migrants from seeking asylum if they entered the US illegally. Along with the progressive's anger towards the executive action, it could also be hit with legal challenges. According to The Hill, Mayorkas, on their way to Texas, told reporters, "There will not be any executive actions announced today. The legislation is what we need; it is the enduring solution. Actions taken outside of legislation are often met with litigation challenges in court."

6. Biden flips the script while Trump sees border as a winning issue

As several polls point at Biden trailing behind Trump by a slight margin or both in a neck-and-neck competition, both candidates are attempting to use the immigration crisis as an election strategy. Meeting with Border Patrol agents and local leaders in Brownsville, the President blamed the House Republicans, who hinder the border funding, for the worsening situation. Accusing Trump of taking political advantage of the bipartisan legislation, he also took the visit to urge the GOP to review the aid package. On the other hand, the border crisis is Trump's ace card to attack his potential 2024 election opponent. He blamed Biden for the 22-year-old Georgia University student's murder by an illegal immigrant who, according to the ex-president, was "released into our communities by Crooked Joe Biden," as per CNN.