Immigration News 2015: On Border Visit, Jeb Bush Tries to Draw Contrast With Donald Trump
Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday to meet with local officials and discuss immigration policy and border security in McAllen, Texas, the Washington Post reported.
The former Florida governor's trip comes about a month after Donald Trump, one of his main rivals in the race for the GOP's 2016 White House nomination, predicted that he would "win the Hispanic vote" during his own border visit to Laredo, Texas.
But Bush is trying to draw a contrast, as he continues to challenge Trump, whose anti-Mexican remarks early on in the campaign have caused much consternation within the Latino community.
"Monday's visit comes amid a series of increasingly direct Bush attacks on Trump that began last week, as he increasingly questions the mogul's conservative credentials," the Washington Post commented, noting that the real estate mogul, in turn, "has continually needled Bush."
Bush is scheduled to meet privately with local officials to discuss border security, the economy and other issues, the San Antonio Express-News detailed. His visit also includes a campaign luncheon, at which contribution levels start at $1,000, as well as an afternoon news conference.
In recent weeks, Bush ripped Trump's immigration plan as flawed, alleging it was yet another example of the "Apprentice" star's lack of conservative credentials.
"Hundreds of billions of dollars of costs to implement his [immigration] plans is not a conservative plan," Bush argued, according to the Washington Post. "This is going to be my pitch: Let's support someone who you don't have to guess where he stands because he's consistent, because he's been governor, he's consistently had the views that he has."
Trump, for his part, on Monday morning warned Bush on "Fox and Friends" not to expect too friendly of a reception in McAllen.
"I think it's great he's going to the border, I think he'll ... find out it's not an act of love," the TV personality said. "I was down on the border. It's rough, tough, stuff. This is not love, it's other things going on."
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