In an unprecedented display of political divergence, President Joe Biden and his potential 2024 general election adversary, Donald Trump, visited Texas to address the escalating crisis at the US-Mexico border. While both leaders agree on the urgent need for change, their proposed solutions are poles apart.
In a surprising move, Biden extended an invitation to Trump during his speech in Brownsville, urging the former president to support his efforts to persuade Congress to revisit a bipartisan border agreement. This agreement was previously undermined by Trump’s opposition, which influenced the stance of congressional Republicans.
“Join me – or I’ll join you – in telling Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill,” Biden said, addressing Trump directly. “We can do this together.” However, the likelihood of a truce seems slim.
Trump, speaking in Eagle Pass, held Biden directly responsible for recent crimes allegedly committed by migrants across the country. He used graphic language to describe the recent murder of a Georgia nursing student, allegedly by an undocumented Venezuelan migrant. “The United States is being overrun by the Biden migrant crime,” Trump said, adding that Biden has “the blood of countless innocent victims” on his hands.
Meanwhile, Biden blamed Trump for the failure to pass a bill, while also attempting to convince the former president to collaborate with him. This highlights the challenge for Biden in addressing an issue that he has only recently decided to tackle, given its potential impact on the upcoming election.
Following the failure of the bipartisan border bill earlier this month, Biden pledged to make his case for reform directly to the American people. This effectively shifted the responsibility of his most challenging domestic issue to Trump. The bill’s failure allowed Biden to claim that a deal had been brokered on immigration, and it was Trump who dashed hopes of an agreement.
Addressing Trump, Biden said: “So instead of playing politics with the issue, why don’t we just get together and get it done?” However, this seems unlikely. CNN has reported that Trump has been lobbying Republicans to oppose the border compromise being delicately worked out in the Senate.
The political discord has had significant international repercussions. Leading House Republicans demanded that any further security funding for Ukraine’s fight against Russia be tied to significant immigration-related concessions from the Biden administration.
After touring the border along Eagle Pass with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Trump laid the blame of recent noteworthy crimes allegedly committed by migrants across the country directly at Biden’s feet. Trump also repeated exaggerations about the amount of border wall erected during his administration.
Although Biden is escalating his attacks on Trump, CNN recently reported that he is considering using his executive authority in ways reminiscent of Trump’s tenure in office. Biden is reportedly considering an executive action that would restrict migrants’ ability to seek asylum at the US-Mexico border if they crossed illegally.
In the backdrop of Trump and Biden’s visit to Texas was the tense standoff between the state and federal governments on how to handle migrant crossings. Abbott, the Texas governor, has made himself a key player in bringing the border crisis to the rest of the country by busing migrants to Democratic-run cities around the nation.
Just hours before Biden and Trump’s remarks, a federal judge in Austin blocked a law signed by Abbott that would give state law enforcement the authority to detain migrants. Abbott vowed to appeal the decision.
Abbott has said his recent efforts were in direct response to what he has described as Biden’s failure to address immigration enforcement.
Contributions by CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Daniel Dale and MJ Lee.