President Biden and former President Trump will both head to the southern border on Thursday as the besieged southern border becomes a top political issue -- and as the nation is gripped by a wave of stories of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
The violent crime and those arrests, all made in the last two weeks, are in addition to additional migrant chaos in places like New York City -- where the city has declared itself overwhelmed by the numbers it is seeing, has been subjected to a number of migrant-related crimes and is now reconsidering its sanctuary city policies.
A Venezuelan illegal immigrant is being charged with the murder of a nursing student out for a jog in Georgia.
A Salvadoran illegal immigrant is being charged with murder in the death of a 2-year-old child in Maryland.
A Honduran illegal immigrant is being charged with the rape of a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint in Louisiana.
A Venezuelan illegal immigrant was arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a minor in Virginia
A Honduran illegal immigrant is being charged with multiple counts related to child pornography in Virginia.
These charges come after a record FY 23 that saw over 2.4 million migrant encounters and a December in which encounters soared over the 300,000 mark in history. Recent polling, including one this week by Gallup, shows voters see the large number of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S as a "critical" threat to the country.
Biden, whose administration remains under heavy fire for its handling of the crisis now into its third year, will travel to Brownsville, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. He will meet with Border Patrol, law enforcement and local leaders.
The White House said he will renew his calls for Congress to pass a bipartisan border agreement, which would have increased staffing at the border as well as tightening asylum rules, moved to tackle fentanyl smuggling and increased funding to communities and NGO’s receiving migrants.
SALVADORAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO MARYLAND MURDER OF 2-YEAR-OLD BOY
"He will discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement, the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border in decades," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said aboard Air Force one. "He will reiterate his calls for Congressional Republicans to stop playing politics and to provide the funding needed for additional U.S. Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, fentanyl detection technology and more.
Meanwhile, the White House told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that it encourages cooperation with ICE from local law enforcement, including those in "sanctuary" jurisdictions.
"We welcome local law enforcement’s support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety," a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday in response to a question about its stance on sanctuary cities. "When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE."
"Just since May 12, DHS has removed or returned more than 565,000 individuals – the vast majority of whom crossed the Southwest Border. 565,000 removals and returns is more than every full fiscal year since 2013," they said.
7.2M ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES
Trump, who has made restoring order to the border one of the main thrusts of his 2024 presidential bid, will be in Eagle Pass, the center of an ongoing stand-off and court battle between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the administration over border-related issues including setting up of razor-wire and a new anti-illegal immigration law.
Trump and Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for the crisis, saying its rollback of Trump-era policies and implementation of "open border" policies have fueled the crisis and allowed the entry of millions of illegal immigrants.
"Joe Biden ignored the southern border and denied that a crisis existed for years – but now, he’s pretending to change his tune when it’s politically convenient," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement. "There’s no doubt: Biden’s open border policies have led to criminals entering our country, deadly fentanyl in our communities, and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. No matter how he spins it, every state is a border state under Joe Biden."
Trump has promised an aggressive turn away from Biden-era policies and towards greater enforcement. Trump has promised to continue wall construction, a return to the Remain-in-Mexico policy and greater deportations.
"When I am your President, we will immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History!" Trump said this week on TruthSocial.
