On Thursday, former President Donald Trump and Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott delivered remarks on the border crisis at Eagle Pass, Texas, a hot spot for illegal border crossings. Also on Thursday, President Biden delivered remarks at Brownsville, a much quieter sector.
READ: Biden Visits the Border Patrol in Brownsville, and His Confusion Goes Into Overdrive
President Trump's remarks were pointed, including mention of Georgia nursing student Lakin Riley, who was murdered by an illegal alien:
"Joe Biden will never say Laken Riley's name, but we will say it and we will remember. We're not going to forget her. It's just been a horrible story that we've had to live with the last few days. It's hard to believe. And her parents, they just can never be the same. Great people."
In his remarks, Gov. Abbott made a strong endorsement of Trump's policies on the border during his term in office:
"President Trump showed that when he was in office, he was able to secure the border. And I know that when he is re-elected as our president, our border will once again be secured."
President Trump hammered the point home about crimes committed by illegal immigrants, referring to such crimes (as he has in the past) as "Biden migrant crime," or "migrant crime," which the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner is touting as a new category of crime; he also gave numbers of crimes committed by illegal immigrants:
Gov. Abbott described in detail the steps Texas has taken to secure its border, including building walls, placing barrier buoys in the Rio Grande, and placing Texas National Guard troops on the border. Abbott also cited Texas's constitutional authority to protect the state against invasion, and praised President Trump's policies on the border, while launching a verbal assault on the Biden Administration's undoing of every Trump-era border policy.
Joe Biden's visit to Brownsville was panned by, among others, the Border Patrol, and by Governor Abbott, who stated that "President Biden does not care about the border, he does not care about Texas."
Later, he described four policies of the Trump Administration that he stated worked well at stemming illegal immigration, leading to "the lowest illegal border crossings in about four decades:"
See Related: Biden Is Going to the Border Again, but the Border Patrol Union Completely Levels Him in Response
Biden Denies Copying Trump Trip to Border, As WH Issues Seriously Deficient Statement on Laken Riley
Gov. Abbott (correctly) observed that President Biden, had he left the Trump-era policies in place, would have presided over a much more secure border, and accused Biden of lying when he stated he needed Congressional action to allow him to take action on the southern border.
The nation's southern border has become a major issue, if not the issue, of the 2024 presidential campaign. Pres. Biden's approval ratings on immigration are crashing, and former Pres. Trump is leveraging what he (correctly) claims as a major strength in his former administration.
You can see a video of the entire briefing by both President Trump and Governor Abbott here.
This is a developing story. RedState will continue to monitor this issue and bring you updates as events warrant.