Biden will make a rare visit to the southern border on the same day as Trump

President Biden plans to make a rare visit to the southern border on Thursday, according to two people briefed on the plans. He will travel to Brownsville, Texas, on the same day that former President Donald J. Trump has already scheduled a border trip.

The plans underscore the urgency now driving the Biden team on immigration, which has become one of his most serious political commitments. Record numbers of migrants have crossed the southern border under the Biden administration — a fact that Mr. Trump and Republicans have aggressively wielded against Mr. Biden.

A majority of Americans disapprove of Mr. Biden’s performance and the polls show that the president’s opponents cite immigration more than any other policy issue when assessing him.

During his Thursday trip to Brownsville, Mr. Biden plans to meet with Border Patrol, law enforcement and local officials, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Mr Trump will visit Eagle Pass in Texas on Thursday. CNN was the first to report on his planned trip last week. During the trip, Mr. Trump plans to make remarks from the border to highlight the immigration crisis and place blame on Mr. Biden, according to a person close to Mr. Trump who was not authorized to discuss the plans to be discussed publicly.

Trump is expected to highlight the crimes committed by migrants in New York and other cities, as well as the arrest of an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant in the recent high-profile discussion. kill from a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia, the person added.