Biden lands on common ground in Brownsville visit

President Joe Biden visited the Rio Grande Valley for the first time in office last Thursday, meeting with Hidalgo and Cameron County leaders to talk about border issues and his plan for addressing them.

Biden’s bipartisan border initiative failed after Republicans shot down a bill during a session on February 7.

That $20 Billion bill would have included additional staffing to Border Patrol agents and immigration judges, fentanyl inspection equipment, and $1.4 billion in funding for cities to expedite work permits for immigrants who qualify.

Though Biden’s initiative failed in the senate, local Valley officials took a different stance last Thursday, largely praising his immigration efforts and hoping to capitalize on his visit to the area.

They described the bill Biden proposed as rigorous and effective — but also fair.

At a Border Patrol station in Olmito, just outside Brownsville, Biden spoke about why, despite opposition, he means to pass that legislation.

“We need to do more. It’s time to step up,” Biden said. “It’s time to step up and provide them with significantly more personnel and capability. We also need more immigration judges; help handle the backlog.”

Handling ‘the backlog’ is something the Valley is used to.

Brownsville, with a population of 188,000, has seen over 260,000 migrants travel across the border since 2021, according to the city’s mayor.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says over 76,436 immigrants have crossed the border in the Rio Grande Valley from October 2023 to January 2024.

The solution? Additional resources, Biden said last Thursday.

“They need more agents, more officers, more judges, more equipment in order to secure our border,” the president said.

Local leaders met Biden’s presidential visit with enthusiasm.

“Because of the law we have in asylum seeking and the policy…we have invited almost everyone from all over the world to come here through the southern border,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, who attended Biden’s press conference. “It’s taxing our capacity to deal with them.”

Cortez wasn’t the only local leader with concerns to greet Biden last Thursday. Several local leaders attended, among them, Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen and McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos — all with unique constituencies and unique problems.

Villalobos’ mind wasn’t on immigration Thursday. Commerce was.

According to Villalobos, immigration isn’t a giant concern in McAllen right now. He said the city is focused on business.

“You get into the issue of traffic congestion, money…commerce, trade,” he said. “There’s bridges throughout [the Valley], and a lot of that traffic shouldn’t have to come through our cities.”

Cortez echoed economic sentiments.

For years, under the 1944 Water Treaty, the state of Texas and Mexico have disagreed as to how much water each party should provide, something the Valley continuously struggles with according to the Hidalgo County Judge.

Last month Harlingen’s W.R. Cowley Sugar House, Texas’ last sugar mill, closed, citing the water dispute as the reason for its downfall.

“We are an agricultural area here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Cortez said. “And we can’t have that without water.”

Biden’s visit was echoed upstream by Republican presidential opponent Donald Trump, who visited Eagle Pass on the same day.

Villalobos — a Republican — described Biden’s visit as an opportunity to focus on bread and butter issues rather than partisan politics.

“We’re very glad he came down,” he said. “Whether I’m Republican or Democrat, I’m going to do what’s best. People come before politics.”

Biden, using the Rio Grande Valley as the backdrop for a prospective second border bill push, also adopted a bipartisan tone — with an edge.

“Those senators who opposed it need to set politics aside…It’s about whether it benefits the American people,” said Biden. “It’s time for the speakers and some of my Republican friends in Congress who are blocking this bill to show a little spine.”