As former President Donald Trump prepared to face criminal charges in New York, one of his political rivals traveled to the southern border in Texas.
The visit by former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley was the latest in a series of trips by prominent Republicans to criticize the president's border policies.
Haley met with locals in a Texas border county on the front lines of the immigration debate, a place where migrants jump off freight trains from Mexico.
"If I was in charge, I would close the border. It ain't that complicated," one resident said to Haley said in a Twitter video. She replied, "I know it's not rocket science."
The former South Carolina governor was the latest in a long list of Republicans who have come to the border to bash President Joe Biden – but the first Republican presidential candidate to do so.
"How do the American people have any confidence in a president who refuses to see a border problem? And a secretary who refuses to see it as a crisis? It shows that you've gotten an administration that's inept," said Haley.
Haley's visit included a stop at a shoe factory, a ride-along with Border Patrol agents and meetings with residents whose properties have been damaged.
Haley accompanied Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, whose district runs along 800 miles of the border.
Gonzales said they met with the family of those who died in a car crash with human smugglers.
"What disturbs me the most is it's gotten so bad along the border that now it feels normal," said Gonzales. "There's nothing normal about this crisis. There's so much pain, anguish that is happening in this crisis."
Haley said that as president, she would seek to limit businesses from hiring undocumented immigrants and add at least 25,000 Border Patrol officers by eliminating other government jobs.
While she did not mention Trump by name, Haley said she supports the embattled former president's so-called Remain in Mexico policy that required asylum seekers to wait in that country as their legal proceedings play out.
"When they leave Del Rio and Eagle Pass, they're not staying here. They're coming to your states," said Haley. "They're going into your schools or going into your hospitals; your law enforcement officers are suddenly having to deal with them. They are now taking up your taxpayer dollars."
The Texas Democratic Party leadership characterized Haley's visit as a political maneuver. In a statement, Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said, "Nikki Haley is exactly the same as Donald Trump and Texas Republicans when it comes to immigration—all fear-mongering and no solutions."
“Once Republicans are ready to put aside political theatrics, we as Democrats are prepared to work hand-in-hand with our Republican colleagues at the local, state, and federal level to redesign our immigration system into one that is fair, orderly, and humane – and give much-needed relief to South Texas border communities,” Hinojosa went on to say.