Texas Residents Call Trump a “Traitor” Ahead of Border Visit

The immigration crisis has been in headlines multiple times over the past months and years. The overwhelm at the border has become significant especially in the last year, and it has led to multiple conversations and clashes between the federal government and local government, particularly in the state of Texas.

Greg Abbott in the Headlines

Greg Abbott, in particular, has been making headlines for his actions regarding the border in Texas. He is an immigration hardliner who has determined that it is his sole obligation to protect his state from what he perceives as the “immigrant invasion” that is coming from the south.

He has invoked the Invasion Clause of the Constitution as justification for some of the more extreme actions that he has taken regarding the border. These actions have been called “inhumane” by immigration sympathizers, and lauded as “not far enough” by conservative immigration extremists.

Some of Abbott’s Actions

Some of these actions have included installing floating buoy systems in the Rio Grande river as a deterrent to immigrants who might try to use the vulnerable point as an access into the country. This choice alone has led to the drowning of several immigrants, which has been called “cruel and unusual.”

Most famous of Abbott’s actions regarding the border, though, has been the recent decision to install razor wire along the land border as a deterrent to immigrants. Abbott used the record-high numbers of migrant surges this past winter to justify this rather extreme action, which has been lauded by sympathetic governors across the country.

Backlash from Biden and the Federal Government

Unfortunately for Abbott, his actions regarding the border have drawn the attention and the backlash of the United States government. Biden and his administration have challenged many of the border actions that have been taken in Texas, taking several of them all the way up to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has sided with the administration in several instances regarding Biden’s challenges to Texas border actions. Most recently, the Court agreed with the administration that Abbott had overreached in his decision to install razor wire at the border, allowing the administration to take it down. It did not prevent Abbott from installing new wire afterwards, though.

An Election Year Issue

Because of the intense publicity around the border, it’s understandable that it has become an important issue ahead of the 2024 election. Candidates from both parties have discussed the issue at the border, though the focus has understandably been different depending on which party is speaking.

What can be agreed upon across political spectrums, though, is that the crisis at the border is indeed, that. A crisis. The United States has been overwhelmed by the influx of immigrants from southern and Asian countries, and multiple border states including Texas and California have reported challenges to their existing infrastructure due to the increase in migrant movement.

Biden is Willing to Sign

Biden has agreed that there are issues with the current immigration system in multiple statements, and has advocated for bipartisan legislation to be passed, which he would be perfectly willing to sign once it came to his desk.

This is in spite of the ongoing narrative that Biden, and the Democrats as a whole, are for entirely open borders in America. As the crisis continues, it has become more and more apparent that those who believe in compassionate immigration reform are far different from those who believe that the border should be a free-for-all, as conservatives have long implied.

In Contrast to Trump

This attitude is in stark contrast to former president Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee for the Republican bid for president. Trump has made a name for himself as a hardliner against immigration, a policy stance that goes back to his initial bid for president back in 2016.

Trump’s third run for president appears to be no different than the first two. He famously called immigrants “rapists and criminals” during his first run for president, and he has continued to offer hyperbolic and racist statements regarding individuals who have attempted to cross the border in an attempt to build a better life for themselves.

A Stance that Resonates…With Some

This hardline stance is one that has resonated deeply with his base of die hard, only-Trump supporters, many of whom identify as either far-right “Patriots” or as members of white supremacist groups.

For moderate Republicans, independents, and Democrats, though, Trump’s stance against immigration has become one of the many sticking points against the man holding the White House again. Many believe that, given the opportunity, he would install new legislation in place that would make the early days of his first term of President look like child’s play.

A Rebellion that has Become Clear

The rebellion against a second Trump term has become more and more apparent as his campaign has gone on. Recent protests along the border ahead of a Trump visit have only made this more clear, with Texas residents firmly taking a stand against the former president.

Eagle Pass has become one of the centers of conversation around the immigration crisis in Texas. Greg Abbott announced an 90-acre construction progress had begun to develop an expansive military base camp in Eagle Pass, for approximately 1800 Texas National guard soldiers.

Especially in Texas

Abbott explained that the new construction project would allow soldiers that he’d installed to help handle the immigration crisis the space to work more effectively and efficiently when it comes to detaining and returning illegal immigrants across the border.

Abbott has claimed that installing these border agents is one of the reasons that the number of immigrants at the Texas border has reduced from the record highs that were seen in December of 2023. Local residents have different opinions, particularly in regards to former President Trump

Texas Residents Are Not Happy

Ahead of a scheduled visit to Eagle Pass by former president Trump, Texas residents have made clear their displeasure around the idea. The visit is planned for the same day that President Joe Biden will be visiting Brownsville in order to meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, and other local officials.

In a post on Facebook, the Eagle Pass Border Coalition stated, regarding Trump’s visit, “The visit has nothing to offer Eagle Pass, and Eagle Pass has nothing to gain from it. Not welcome here and you know it. Not a leader but a loser. Not a president, but a contender…Eagle Pass deserves better.”

A Bigger Issue Than the Border

A spokesperson for the coalition spoke to Newsweek and confirmed that the group believes that Trump’s visit is a political stunt, rather than one made out of genuine concern. They then stated that immigration is part of a much broader concern that affects more than just the United States.

“The issue is climate change, and one country cannot affect climate change,” the spokesperson said. “We need to address that as a planet. This is the first trickle of what is going to be the largest scale of humanity our planet has ever seen.”

Multiple Republicans Under Fire

Trump is not the only Republican who the coalition has criticized regarding the border, either. The group has taken multiple jabs at Abbott for his actions regarding immigration in the past, claiming that his efforts were all to turn Eagle Pass into a “military-style staging ground.”

The political theatre of the border extends to former president Trump, according to the coalition and other locals. Many believe that Trump’s border visit is a blatant attempt to distract from his upcoming criminal and civil trials, and that the former president has no true agenda regarding immigration rather than distraction.

Greater Compassion Needed for Immigrants

Attention around the border is unlikely to wane the closer the 2024 general election gets, and Trump and Biden both have a stance to make clear regarding it. Trump has demonstrated that he’s a hardliner on immigration, much to the displeasure of many Americans.

Compassion towards immigrants is appearing to be a stronger policy stance as time goes on, as is evidenced by the protests made surrounding Trump and Abbott. Whether this changing emotional climate will ultimately reflect politically remains to be seen, but it’s an ongoing delicate issue that will need to be handled carefully over the next months and years.