In two Texas border towns, both President Biden and former President Trump made dueling visits.
They were 300 miles apart, but they had the same goal: to gain a political advantage from the migration crisis, which will be one of the decisive issues in the 2024 elections.
The Biden administration has overseen a record number of border crossings, an increase that Republicans have used to paint the president as weak on the issue.
in brownsville, Texasa town that has historically witnessed large influxes of migrants, Biden made only his second visit to the border, but this time he promised change.
“It's very simple. It's time to act. It's long past time to act,” he said.
President Biden visited Brownsville, Texas. Photo: Reuters
Trump was also accused of scoring political points after Republicans scuttled a bipartisan bill that would have led to a crackdown on the border, after the former president's incitement.
“You know and I know that this is the most difficult, most efficient and most effective border security bill this country has ever seen,” he said.
“So instead of playing politics with this issue, why don't we get together and get it done?”
Part of the border fence in Texas
Immigration is a happier hunting ground Mr. Trump. His rhetoric on the issue has become more extreme in recent months, particularly when he said immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of America.
But that appears to have energized his base, with opinion polls pointing to his advantage President Biden Immigration is increasing.
Speaking from Eagle Pass, Texas, against a backdrop of a barbed wire fence, Trump took advantage of the epicenter of the killing of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed in Georgia.
The man accused of killing her is a Venezuelan immigrant, who was previously arrested on charges of crossing the border illegally in 2022 and then released, before being arrested in New York and released again.
Donald Trump said the United States is “overwhelmed by Biden’s crime against immigrants.”
“The United States is being engulfed by Biden’s crime related to immigrants,” he said. “Migrant crime is a new form of heinous violations of our country.”
Trump's words resonate in other border cities as well.
In the remote town of Jacumba Hot Springs, California, where migrants often cross the border, I met a group of a dozen veterans outside a casino.
They say they are part of an organized convoy heading to the border to reinforce defences.
A group of veterans was heading to the border to reinforce the defenses
I was riding with Derek Cardinale, a former marine and real estate agent, in his white pickup truck. The conversation soon turns to immigration and the terrorist threat.
“It just takes another September 11 or another October 7 in Israel,” he says.
“I have four children, and seeing this little girl Laken Riley recently killed by a Venezuelan who is here illegally. My wife travels with my four children and doesn't have the training that I do to be aware all the time, so it definitely worries me.”
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The group has placed barbed wire to fill gaps in border defences
When we reached the border wall separating Mexico and the United States, where the 30-foot-tall fence ends, the group strung up razor wire over rocks where migrants might stampede.
“What happens if someone gets arrested?” I ask.
“Well, it sure hurts,” one woman responds. “It's about making sure it's painful enough that they can't at least come off that way.”
“It's ugly, it's dangerous.”
For migrants who make it across, their first few hours in the United States often involve sitting on sidewalks in downtown areas outside detention centers, waiting for buses, first to transportation centers and then to the airport.
Waiting for me on the sidewalk in downtown San Diego was Maria, a 21-year-old from Ecuador.
Maria is fleeing chaos and violence in Ecuador
She says it took her a month and 12 days to reach the United States after fleeing gang violence in her homeland.
“The situation in Ecuador is ugly and dangerous,” she says. “We came here for a better future, to support our family and to stay for a while.”
Many migrants wear tracking devices placed on them by border control services to monitor them while their asylum applications are processed.
Immigration is not just a strong political issue in border cities, with many migrants heading to destinations across the United States, including Miami, Chicago and New York.
Gregg said anyone could do better on immigration than Biden
At San Diego Marina, locals and tourists watch the sunset. Lori and Tom, from Denver, Colorado, say their city's immigration system can't cope.
“We can only handle so many people,” Lowry says.
“We only have the resources for so many and we allow people to keep coming and coming, and something will break.”
Robin and Greg from Wisconsin say they would vote for Donald Trump if he was an option in November because they believe he would protect America's borders.
“I think anyone is going to protect the border better than a Biden administration,” Gregg says. “No matter who it is.”
