Trump Pushes Immigration Reform at Texas Stop Despite Union Snub
LAREDO, Texas, July 23 (UPI) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday continued his crusade against the White House’s immigration policies by pushing for tighter controls at the border during a campaign stop in Texas.
Trump, who previously said many of the undocumented immigrants entering the United States are criminals, stumped in the border town of Laredo — in view of the thousands of voters who could help carry him to the presidency next year.
“There is great danger with the illegals, tremendous danger with illegals,” he said Thursday while standing near a border checkpoint. “I have seen it here.”
Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, has been railing for weeks against what he believes is a lack of security along the country’s southern border. Earlier this month, he gave a speech in southern California where he appeared alongside multiple families who have had loved ones killed by immigrants.
The magnate’s Texas stop is reflective of Trump’s feeling that attracting Latino votes could make the difference at the polls next November. He has spoken of the many Latinos in his employ and asserted that 2016 should present an easy vote for Latinos in the Republican column.
A town of about 250,000, Laredo is tough voting ground for Trump. Most Latinos there typically vote Democratic; many appeared at Thursday’s rally with signs slamming the GOP candidate.
“He’s a smart man. He gets publicity, good or bad,” resident Adolfo Gonzalez said in a report by the Los Angeles Times. “He’s just trying to get publicity coming to a place he’s not wanted.”
A local union of border patrol agents had planned to give Trump a tour of the border,but backed out at the last minute under pressure from critics.
Trump visited the border town for a few hours and met with city officials before departing on his personal Boeing 757 for his next campaign stop. Several recent polls have shown that he has a lead over the rest of the GOP field.
