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Ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to Texas on Thursday, Border Patrol union president Brandon Judd issued Biden a message on Monday criticizing his efforts as "too little, too late."
On Monday, a White House official confirmed Biden's travel plans to Texas as Biden will meet with U.S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement in Brownsville on Thursday and will discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate's bipartisan border security.
Meanwhile, tension between federal and state units in Texas remains after the Biden administration secured a significant win over Texas Governor Greg Abbott in late January after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to allow the temporary removal of razor wire along the southern border while litigation over the issue proceeds. The Court's decision has sparked anger among Republicans who support the measures taken by Abbott and his administration to fight illegal immigration in the state. Additionally, tensions over the measures escalated as the federal government raised environmental and humanitarian concerns about the deterrent.
Abbott, an outspoken critic of Biden over immigration issues, has vowed that the fight "is not over" and also issued a statement declaring Texas' "right to self-defense." Texas has continued to use razor wire as a barrier between the Rio Grande River and Shelby Park, a 47-acre area in Eagle Pass, which has become one of the busiest locations for people attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally from Mexico.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin shared Judd's statement to the network on Monday regarding Biden's visit to the border as he criticized Biden's planned visit, stating that it is "too little, too late," adding that the visit is only to "save his presidency."
"Unfortunately, a visit by President Biden three years into his term and after repeatedly stating there is no crisis is too little, too late. Whether stating it himself or through WH Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre, Biden has said he's done everything he can to secure the border. If that was the truth, and it wasn't, there would be no point in visiting the border now. But even if he were to put the proper policies in place at this late hour, he'd be doing it only to try to save his Presidency," Judd said in the statement.
Newsweek has reached out to Biden's campaign via email for comment.
However, this is not the first time Biden visits the Texas border, Biden first visited the border as president in January 2023 when he traveled to the Bridge of Americas border crossing, next to El Paso, Texas, accompanied by border patrol staff.
Meanwhile, Judd continues to slam Biden's efforts on the border by claiming the visit is politically motivated, adding that the focus should be on safety and security.
"And self-serving actions when time is winding down should always give Americans pause. Common sense dictates that as a lame duck, he'd revert back to his open border policies if re-elected. Biden is going to the border now solely to try to save himself. Border security should never be about politics, it should always be about the safety and security of this great nation and the American people," Judd added.
Judd's comments come after Biden previously signaled that he's open to "massive changes," asking Congress to embrace a bipartisan Senate deal that would pair border enforcement measures with aid to Ukraine to help in its ongoing war with Russia
However, the GOP-led House struck down the bipartisan border security bill in the Senate earlier this month, as conservative hardliners argue the bill does not go far enough to end illegal immigration into the U.S. At least 60 "yes" votes were required to advance the bill to the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, had already declared the legislation "dead on arrival."
In addition, immigration is among the top issues ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with polls showing doubts over Biden's handling of the situation, on which Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has promised tougher action.
Meanwhile, Trump is also expected to visit the Lone Star State at the same time as Biden, sparking criticism and claims that Biden is following Trump's campaign as Trump's campaign said the fact that Biden is visiting the border on the same day as the former Republican president "shows just how big of a problem this is for him".
Trump is expected to be about 300 miles away in Eagle Pass on Thursday.
When reached for comment Trump's campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung referred Newsweek via email to a statement from Karoline Leavitt, Trump's Campaign Press Secretary.
"Crooked Joe Biden has had three years to visit the border and fix the crisis he created," Leavitt said. 'Now Biden's handlers are sending him there on the same day as President Trump's publicly reported trip, not because they actually want to solve the problem, but because they know Biden is losing terribly. Biden's last-minute, insincere attempt to chase President Trump to the border won't cut it—Americans know Biden is single-handedly responsible for the worst immigration crisis in history and the ensuing Biden Migrant Crime Crisis affecting every community in our Country."
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About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more