(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump blamed President Joe Biden for the crisis on the border and accused him of being responsible for crimes committed by migrants in a visit to Eagle Pass, Texas.
Trump and Biden, the presumptive nominees for their respective parties, are both visiting the border in dueling appearances.
Trump, joined by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, touted his immigration policies including the building of a border wall and Title 42 policy that allowed agents to turn people away at the border.
The former president noted that immigrants are also coming from countries hostile to the U.S., including China, Iran, Yemen and Syria. He also characterized immigrants as coming from jails and mental institutions, referencing crimes committed by undocumented people.
He specifically spoke about the case of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was killed near a trail on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia. The suspect in the case, Jose Ibarra, is a Venezuelan who illegally crossed into the U.S. in 2022.
Trump cited the number of detained migrants who have criminal records, noting that nearly half of those detained by Immigration and Customs and Enforcement had criminal records. However, studies have shown immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens.
Trump’s last visit to Texas came in November when he was endorsed by Abbott. Trump has blamed Biden for the border crisis and vowed to institute harsher immigration policies if elected.
Trump has promised to resume construction of a border wall, reinstate Title 42 and a “Remain in Mexico” policy along with other changes to immigration if he retakes the White House this election.
Abbott has also attempted to enact stricter border measures in his state, including the construction of barriers and expanding the ability of state authorities to arrest and remove people. However, those efforts have faced legal challenges, with a judge recently issuing an injunction to stop Texas police from arresting those suspected of illegally crossing into the U.S.
Speaking after Trump, Abbott defended his state’s efforts to increase security along the border and also blamed Biden for the number of people seeking to cross into the U.S. between ports of entry.
Trump has also called on Republicans to take a hard line and refuse to compromise on the issue, urging GOP members to block a recent attempt at a border bill in the Senate that would have added funding for border enforcement and made changes to immigration policy.
Trump encouraged those in his party to stop the legislation from passing because he felt it did not go far enough.