U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will make separate visits to the U.S.-Mexico border on Thursday, with border security likely to become a major campaign issue in November’s presidential election.
Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, where the number of people crossing the border illegally into the United States has dropped dramatically in recent years.
The White House said Biden will deliver remarks and be briefed on the situation at the border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Trump, who during his presidency sought to build a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, will travel Thursday to Eagle Pass, Texas, the busiest area for illegal border crossings in recent months one.
Border security has been at the center of legislative debate in Washington as the Biden administration pushes for a security package with new funding for Ukraine and Israel. Republicans, particularly in the House of Representatives, advocated including border security measures in the bill.
Trump rallied against a bipartisan Senate proposal that included multiple border security provisions as well as Ukraine aid, ultimately leading to its failure in the Senate. House Republicans have since insisted that the border issue be resolved before taking any action on foreign security aid.
Some information for this report comes from the Associated Press
