Former US President Donald Trump visited the US-Mexico border again on Sunday (19/11) to promote an immigration agenda that is far tougher and more expansive than the policies he enacted while president.
Before his speech in the city of Edinburg, Texas, Trump distributed food to Texas National Guard soldiers, police and others who would be on duty at the border during Thanksgiving Day, aka Thanksgiving.
He was accompanied by Texas Governor Greg Abbott from the Republican Party on the visit. Abbott is a Trump ally and supporter of stricter immigration policies, supporting the leading Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 US presidential election.
Trump and Abbott handed out tacos while shaking hands and taking photos.
They plan to speak in front of a crowd of 150 supporters outside the airport hangar in the city, which is about 48 kilometers from the border.
Trump has laid out an immigration proposal that would take a much more stepped-up approach than when he was in the White House. The proposal has raised concerns from civil rights activists and several court challenges.
Trump said border security had evaporated under US President Joe Biden’s administration, where “thug gangs” are now flooding into the US.
“We’re going to take control of that border and we’re going to make it the most secure border in our history,” Trump said.
In recent weeks, the former president has escalated his campaign rhetoric to extreme levels, warning that illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and denouncing his political opponents as “vermin.”
He used the same term in his speech on Sunday, calling some migrants “enemies” and estimating that as many as 15 million undocumented migrants would be in the US by the end of Biden’s first term. The number raised by Trump was much higher than most non-governmental organizations expected.
Meanwhile, Governor Abbott, like Trump, has also implemented hard-line immigration policies, including installing a 330-meter-long floating barrier along the Rio Grande river, which the opposition says could endanger migrants trying to cross.
Not long ago, the Texas legislature passed a bill that would make anyone entering the state without legal documents punishable by up to two years in prison.
The bill would also allow Texas police to arrest anyone believed to be in the state unlawfully – an authority that opponents say is sure to be abused.
Abbott has promised to sign the bill into law. (rd/lt)