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Biden-Trump 'Border Match'

Election competition on 'anti-immigration populism'

A 'border match' between the former and current presidents to determine who is harsher towards those who cross into the United States illegally has been set. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who are likely to compete as the Democratic and Republican candidates in the November election, will visit the southern border of Texas on the same day. The competition between Trump, who continues to attack on the issue of illegal immigration, a key issue in this election, and Biden, who is strengthening his border policy in response to public opinion, has ignited.

On January 8th last year, President Joe Biden (center) visited the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, and is seen conversing with officials from the Customs and Border Protection Agency. El Paso=AFP Yonhap News

The White House announced on the 26th (local time) through a press release that "President Biden plans to visit Brownsville, Texas, on the 29th." Located on the US-Mexico border, Brownsville is a place where large-scale illegal crossings are attempted. President Biden plans to meet with Border Patrol agents there to emphasize the need for legislation to strengthen border security and urge Republican lawmakers to cooperate in securing funds for personnel reinforcements and fentanyl (a drug) detection machines.

The White House announcement came three days after CNN exposed the itinerary of former President Trump on the 23rd. Biden, who has shied away from highlighting border issues during his term, has shifted his stance to an offensive one this month. This change in stance was triggered when a package bill containing border strengthening measures and budget was blocked due to opposition from hardliners in the Republican Party.

With just four days left until the deadline for a compromise on the US border wall budget proposal, President Donald Trump, at the time, visited El Paso, Texas, on February 11, 2019, to give a speech. El Paso=AFP Yonhap News

This shift in posture is seen as a result of public opinion. According to a Monmouth University poll released on the 26th, 71% of Americans are dissatisfied with President Biden's handling of immigration issues. Also, 61% responded that illegal immigration is a serious problem.

However, the attacks by Trump, the original 'anti-immigration populist,' are becoming even more aggressive. Trump, who will visit Eagle Pass, a southern Texas border city about 520 km away from Brownsville, on the same day as President Biden, claimed in a post on the social networking service 'Truth Social' that "corrupt Joe Biden's border invasion is destroying our country and killing our people." He also stoked anti-immigrant sentiment by mentioning a recent case where a female student (22, found dead at the University of Georgia) was murdered, with a Venezuelan immigrant being named as the suspect.

Washington=Kwon Kyung-sung, Reporter

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