Donald Trump is winning the border war against Joe Biden

President Biden and Donald Trump offered Americans a split-screen view of the border in Texas on Thursday. Biden was in Brownsville, on the Gulf end of the Rio Grande, while Trump was in Eagle Pass upriver.

The locations were strategically chosen, with Biden at what Texas Governor Greg Abbott called a “sanitized location” and Trump showcasing Texas’ efforts to secure the border with Mexico in the absence of enforcement by the current administration.

Texas’ border effort called Operation Lone Star has significantly reduced apprehensions in the area, with numbers dropping from over 30,000 in January 2022 to below 7,500 this January.

Biden didn’t want to be overshadowed by Texas’ efforts, particularly the wire barriers and state personnel in Brownsville. Despite rank-and-file agents appreciating Texas’ assistance, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security ordered the removal of wire barriers in Eagle Pass last September, leading to a legal battle.

While Biden blamed Republicans for hindering immigration bills, Trump focused on migrant crime, especially in light of recent incidents like the killing of Laken Riley allegedly by a migrant released by Biden’s administration.

The debate over migrant crime statistics continues, but it is clear that every illegal migrant crime is preventable if they are not released. Legal immigrants undergo thorough vetting, while illegal migrants do not have clean records and depend on the ability of DHS to access their background information.

Andrew Arthur, the resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, highlights that preventing illegal-migrant crimes should be a priority to protect both citizens and lawful immigrants.