President Trump will visit a Michigan community outraged over an ‘open borders’-related homicide. He’ll then attend a ‘Border911’ gala near his Florida home.
As Americans’ discontent with illegal immigration continues escalating—and the presidential race heats up—former President Donald Trump is slated to participate in a pair of events focusing on the crisis.
On April 2, the presumed Republican presidential nominee plans to make remarks in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
That’s the latest U.S. community expressing outrage over a violent crime allegedly committed by an illegal immigrant. A 25-year-old woman was slain March 22; the suspect is a previously deported Mexican national.
On April 4, President Trump is “confirmed to attend” the “Border911” Gala, a fundraiser for a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that Trump-era deportation expert Tom Homan heads.
The organization works to educate the public by sharing “horrific, true stories about what is really happening at our borders,” its website says. The group also seeks to empower citizens to take action “to stop this humanitarian crisis plaguing our communities.”
Surge Fuels Citizens’ Worries
Immigration has become a hot-button issue as President Trump, the apparent Republican presidential nominee, and his presumed Democrat opponent, President Joe Biden, vie for re-election this fall.
When President Biden took office in 2021, he reversed many of the tightened immigration policies that President Trump enacted during the prior four years; the Biden administration has touted a more “welcoming” approach.
As a result, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been encountering record numbers of illegal immigrants between ports of entry. This February’s levels of “encounters” reached the highest level ever recorded for that month: 189,922.
During that same month, Monmouth University released a poll showing soaring levels of public concern over illegal immigration. Researchers found that 61 percent of Americans surveyed considered illegal immigration a “very serious problem,” a 16-percent hike since 2015.
President Trump and President Biden both visited the Texas-Mexico border in February. While President Biden blamed Congress for inaction on key immigration issues, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, faults President Biden for failing to enforce existing laws.
By Janice Hisle
