US elections: Biden calls on Trump to work together on immigration bill as both visit border

In a dramatic moment, as the 2024 presidential campaign gathers steam, both current United States President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump visited the southern border on Thursday (Feb 29).

The two presidential election candidates visited the border to address the issue which has for decades confounded the administrations of both parties - immigration.

Moments after Trump started speaking in Eagle Pass, Biden got a briefing regarding the issue from the border officials.

Later, Biden thanked border agents and stated that he would get them more resources “come hell or high water".

“It’s long past time to act,” he claimed, further stating that border control “desperately” needs more resources.

Making a direct appeal to Trump, Biden asked him to jointly appeal the Congress to pass the bill, which was tanked after it was opposed by Trump and his allies.

"I understand my predecessor is in Eagle Pass today. What I would say to Mr Trump, instead of playing policy with this issue, instead of telling members of Congress to block this legislation, join me or I'll join you in telling the Congress to pass this bipartisan border security bill," Biden said.

"We can do it together, you know, and I know it's the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country's ever seen. So, instead of playing politics with the issue, why don't we just get together and get it done," he added.

Biden calls bipartisan border bill 'a win for Americans'

Biden said that the bipartisan border bill is “a win for the American people,” and called it a “truly bipartisan initiative".

He appealed to the Senate to reconsider the bill and asked senators to “set politics aside”.

Biden claimed that it's "long past time to act," adding that House Speaker Mike Johnson "needs to put this bill on the floor".

"The majority of Democrats and Republicans in both houses support this legislation, until someone came along and said, don't do that, it'll benefit the incumbent," said Biden. "That's a hell of a way to do business in America for such a serious problem. We need to act," he added.

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Hitting back at Biden's appeal, Trump's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a statement, said, "Instead of shifting the blame on everyone but himself, Joe Biden should take responsibility for the border crisis, deaths, and destruction that his policies have caused, say Laken Riley’s name, and use his executive power to shut the border down today."

Trump, in his remarks, said that the death of 22-year-old Riley, a graduate nursing student who was killed while she was jogging near the University of Georgia this month, was “barbaric”.

(With inputs from agencies)