Biden Trump visited Texas on the same day to ＂confront＂ the immigration issue： the former is willing to ＂hand in hand＂ and the latter will fight to the end.

According to the report of the World Wide Web, on February 29th, local time, the current US President Biden and former President Trump visited the southern border of the United States respectively. Although the Republican Party and the Democratic Party of the United States have not finally confirmed the presidential candidate, there is little suspense. Biden’s air confrontation with Trump is also regarded as a prelude to the 2024 presidential election.

According to the Associated Press, their itinerary is very similar: they arrived in Texas in half an hour; Both of them chose suitable places to express their political views, listened to briefings on actions and problems, walked along the bushes along the Rio Grande and spoke directly to the public. Their speeches even overlapped in time.

On that day, Biden, wearing a baseball cap, listened to briefings by border patrol officers, law enforcement officers and local officials on a gravel road in Brownsville, Texas, and in Eagle Pass, about 325 miles (about 523 kilometers) away, where the Texas government confronted the federal government on border security issues, Trump met with Texas Governor Abbott and Texas National Guard soldiers. He once again stressed that he would take a tough stance against illegal immigrants and mentioned the word "invasion" several times to highlight the urgency of border security.

On February 29th, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas, USA, US President Biden visited the US-Mexico border. Vision china diagram

It is worth noting that although Biden and Trump conducted this visit in the way of gallants, they have reached a consensus on the border issue, that is, the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border has reached an unsustainable level. Shane Goldmacher, a political journalist in The New York Times, pointed out in an article on the 29th that the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border reached a new monthly record of nearly 250,000 in December last year, and both parties have realized the need to take action. Now the difference is how to solve this problem politically.

A consensus caught in politics

According to American media reports, before his speech, Biden was briefed by the Customs and Border Protection, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At each meeting, the speakers emphasized how scarce resources they had to cope with the surge in border migration, the flow of fentanyl and the demand for asylum applications.

In his response, Biden repeatedly stressed that if the two parties reach a border security bill, it will allow more people to be hired and help alleviate the problems of various institutions.

Polls show that Biden faces widespread disapproval in dealing with the immigration issue. In recent weeks, he has tried to control this problem by reminding voters that he supports the immigration measures reached by the two parties and their strict law enforcement provisions. Republican lawmakers have asked for border security measures as part of the comprehensive aid bill for Ukraine and Israel, but Trump said on his social platform "Truth" that making the plan would be "another gift for radical left-wing Democrats". After that, lawmakers refused to support the plan.

Although the situation on the US-Mexico border urgently needs to be changed, any compromise may become the political bargaining chip of the other side in the election year. Michael Williams, a White House contributor to the Political Department of CNN, observed that Biden extended an olive branch to Trump in Brownsville’s speech, pleading with Trump to join his efforts to make Congress reconsider the border agreement reached by the two parties. Earlier, Trump told Republicans in Congress that he opposed the agreement, thus effectively undermining it.

"Most Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate supported this legislation until someone said not to do it, which is good for the current president … We need to take action." Biden urged Congress to push the bill forward. He said: "It is time for the Speaker and Republican friends to show a little backbone."

"I know that my predecessor is in Eagles today. Therefore, I want to say to Trump that instead of playing political games on this issue, it is better to join me than to tell members of Congress to stop this legislation. " Biden continued, "Or I can join you and tell Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill. We can work together. As you know, I also know that this is the most stringent, efficient and effective border security bill in the history of this country. "

Williams analyzed that Biden’s expectation is unlikely to happen. According to Republican sources familiar with the conversation, Trump lobbied Republicans in private conversations and public statements on social platforms to oppose the border compromise plan being discussed by the Senate, in part because he wanted to launch an election campaign on this issue in November this year and did not want Biden to win in his politically weak field.

The New York Times reporter Goldmach also said that in recent years, the immigration issue has largely benefited the Republican Party, and its strategists regard it as the primary weakness of the Democratic Party in 2024. But Democrats hope that the Republicans can share some responsibility for killing the border bill this time.

Give the camera to Trump.

Looking at the river through barbed wire, Trump raised his fist and waved and shouted to people on the Mexican side, who also waved back. Then he turned around and declared that the immigrants who arrived at the border were criminals and some were terrorists. This is an upgraded version of the accusation he often used during the 2016 election campaign. As early as 2016, when he accepted the speech nominated by the Republican Party, Trump defined the border issue with the phrase "I can solve it alone". Goldmach believes that this also outlines Trump’s and Biden’s completely different views on power.

On February 29, 2024, in Texas, Trump was visiting the US-Mexico border. Vision china diagram

After passing barbed wire with bayonets and military Hummers, and shaking hands with members of the Texas National Guard in camouflage uniforms, Trump shaped himself into a tried-and-tested leader, ready to resist "invasion." "It’s like a war." Trump is more willing to talk about border issues in wartime context. "The United States is shrouded in Biden’s immigration crime." He stressed that Biden’s hands are stained with "the blood of countless innocent victims."

In his campaign, Trump put more emphasis on immigration, blamed Biden for the border crisis, and promoted to voters his expanded plan to crack down on immigration in his first term, which included mass deportation of immigrants.

He is also increasingly linking illegal immigration with crime. Speaking at Shelby Park in Eagles Pass, Trump said that he had talked with the parents of Laken Hope Riley, a 22-year-old student of the University of Georgia who was killed on campus last week. An undocumented immigrant from Venezuela was accused of kidnapping and killing Riley. This murder case has become the latest hot spot in the immigration struggle.

However, many studies have found that immigrants are less involved in violent crimes than native American citizens. According to a research report published by the National Academy of Sciences based on the data of Texas Department of Public Security from 2012 to 2018, native American residents are more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes as illegal immigrants. But this did not stop Trump from intensifying people’s fear of immigrants entering the United States.

In addition, Texas Governor Abbott said that Biden’s sudden visit showed that the president "does not care about Texas or the border." He also issued a warning to Democrats.

"Unless Biden stands up and does his job well, Texas will continue to send these immigrants to asylum cities." Abbott said, "Trump shows that he can ensure border security when he is in office. I know that when he is re-elected as president, our border will be guaranteed again. "