Quick Hit:

The White House hastily added a Texas visit to President Biden's calendar after former President Trump announced yet another visit to the crisis-stricken border. The visit comes amidst a surge in illegal border crossings, with Biden expected to discuss the importance of passing the Senate's bipartisan border security agreement.

Key Details:

• Biden's visit to Brownsville, Texas, one of the least-used crossings for illegal migrants, will include meetings with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and local leaders.
• Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks in Eagle Pass, Texas, a location that has been a focal point of conflict between the Biden administration and Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
• According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border since Biden took office, a number greater than the population of 36 individual states.

Diving Deeper:

President Biden's visit to the southern border comes at a time of heightened tension and political scrutiny. The surge in illegal border crossings has been a significant point of contention, with critics attributing the increase to Biden's immigration policies. The President is expected to use his visit to underscore the importance of passing the Senate's bipartisan border security agreement and to call on Congressional Republicans to provide the necessary funding for additional U.S. Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, and fentanyl detection technology.

Former President Trump's visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, is also significant. The location has been the center of an ongoing conflict and court battle between Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration. The Justice Department last month asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to allow Border Patrol agents back into Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, which has been blocked by Texas National Guard troops.

The border crisis has been a major issue since Biden took office, with the number of illegal crossings exceeding the population of 36 individual states. If the current pace of illegal immigration does not slow down, fiscal 2024 will break last year's record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters. Amidst this crisis, the Department of Homeland Security has written to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanding full access to the park, especially in emergency scenarios.