Immigration Takes Center Stage as Biden and Trump Head to Texas Border

Re-election challenger Biden aims to regain border policy lead
Blames “Trump’s political maneuvering” for border budget collapse
Trump “will launch the largest deportation operation of illegal immigrants on the first day in office”
Negative public opinion of Biden, “immigration issue” is most critical

President Joe Biden of the United States is seen walking along the US-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023 (local time). The White House announced that President Biden will revisit the southern border on the 29th. AFP-Yonhap News

Amid the illegal immigration issue emerging as the biggest bone of contention in the U.S. presidential election this November, both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will visit the southern border region of Texas side by side on the 29th (local time). With the U.S. presidential election already transitioning into a main match between the incumbent and former presidents, a fierce political brain battle and policy confrontation to win over voters are expected.

On the 26th (local time), the White House stated, “President Biden will visit Brownsville, Texas on the 29th and meet with Border Patrol agents, law enforcement institutions, and local leaders.”

Brownsville, where President Biden will visit, is a region bordering Mexico where large-scale illegal entry occurs. President Biden plans to urge Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation necessary for additional Border Patrol agent deployment, augmentation of asylum application handling officials, and detection of fentanyl smuggling.

President Biden initially pursued a lenient border policy based on humanitarianism but is attempting a policy shift as domestic sentiment deteriorates due to the annual influx of 2.5 million illegal immigrants. Amid the collapse of the border control enhancement budget led by the Democrats in the Senate due to opposition from former President Trump and the Republican hardliners, President Biden is seen launching a fierce counterattack. In an urgent speech on the 6th, he fiercely criticized, “The former president [Trump] is desperate to block this bill. He is not interested in solving the border problem and wants to turn it into a political issue.”

Former President Trump, who has been pointing out President Biden’s incompetence, is also visiting Eagle Pass, which is 323 miles away from Brownsville, on the same day. Eagle Pass is a symbolic place of confrontation over the response to illegal immigrants between the Biden administration and Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas.

After the news of President Biden’s visit to the southern border was announced, former President Trump emphasized through social media, “If I become president, I will immediately close the border and start the largest deportation operation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history from day one.” The Trump election camp also ridiculed, “The reason President Biden is visiting the border is because he is losing in this year’s presidential election.”

The illegal immigration issue is considered a key issue that will sway voters’ hearts in this U.S. presidential election. In a poll released by Gallup on the 23rd, President Biden’s approval rating was only 38%, with 67% of negative responses to the immigration issue among major policy issues. In addition, a poll conducted by Monmouth University from the 8th to the 12th, targeting 902 voters, revealed that 61% of respondents answered that illegal immigration is a serious issue. This is the highest figure since the same poll was conducted in 2015.