WESLACO, Texas — Claiming the Biden administration has failed in its responsibility to protect the U.S.-Mexico border, Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to complete the border wall between Texas and Mexico that former President Donald Trump started.

In fact, the two participated in a tour of unfinished border wall located in the Rio Grande Valley Wednesday. Trump’s Texas visit also involved a border security meeting with law enforcement and a news briefing.

Abbott earlier said he will initially allocate $250 million for the border wall project and is crowdsourcing funding as well.

During the briefing – which included Trump, Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas sheriffs – Abbott repeated many of the points concerning border security he’s brought up in recent months.

Abbott began by thanking Trump for “securing our border and keeping America” safe during his term in office.

The governor again criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for visiting El Paso rather than the Rio Grande Valley last Friday, stating that while she’s focused on Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, migrants are coming to the U.S. from many more countries and that the vice president is “misleading America.”

Abbott suggested that the uptick in illegal border crossings cannot be solved by working with the aforementioned countries and must be solved at the border.

Abbott said the deadliest aspect of the increase in border crossings is the surge in illegal drugs entering the country, particularly the deadly drug fentanyl.

Calling for a return to Trump-era border policies, Abbott said Texas won’t engage in a “catch and release” policy and instead arrest illegal border crossers and place them in jail.

Abbott referred to Biden administration policy as “open border,” but it should be noted that the vast majority of migrants attempting to cross the border are turned away.

Speaking at the same briefing Trump said it was an honor to endorse Abbott for reelection for governor and said that Democrats are engaged in a “disinformation campaign” that places the blame for the increase in border crossings and associated problems on Texas sheriffs.

Trump said that during his time in office almost 500 miles of border wall were completed despite lawsuits and that the wall was nearing completion.

“We did a hell of a job and had it down to – really, a science,” Trump said.  

Texas Democrats, meanwhile, are asking U.S. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellin to block the state from using its federal COVID-19 relief funds for the border wall. It’s also not clear if Abbott has the legal authority to construct a wall between Texas and Mexico as that is generally the responsibility of the federal government.

Wednesday’s visit comes on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris’s trip to El Paso, Texas, last Friday. Harris met with local advocates, toured a busy port of entry and met with agents in a Customs and Border Protection facility, where she also spoke with young migrant girls from Central America.

“The work that we have to do is the work of addressing the cause, the root causes. Otherwise we will continue to see the effect — what is happening at the border,” she said in airport remarks that wrapped up the trip.

“Let's not lose sight of the fact that we're talking about human beings,” she later added. “These issues must be addressed in a way that is informed by fact and informed by reality and informed by perspective.”

Harris has been tasked with diplomacy to tackle the drivers of migration, particularly from the Northern Triangle, and she made her first trip for the assignment in early June, visiting Mexico and Guatemala. On that trip, she faced questions and criticism about why she hadn’t yet visited the border.

She was joined Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said he recommended Harris visit the El Paso sector because it’s one of the busiest areas of the border, despite some calls for her to see a section that is particularly overwhelmed, like the Rio Grande valley. She was also joined by Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who represents the El Paso area.

Mayorkas touted his department’s work so far on the border, including the reduction in the number of children who remain in harsh border patrol facilities and the time they spend there, which now averages about 30 hours, he said. 

“Border surges have been a challenge for years and years, and to address the challenge successfully requires a multi-part plan. We have a plan,” Mayorkas said. 

The group earlier toured an El Paso border patrol facility where migrants are processed, where the vice president spoke with agents who schedule immigration hearings. She also met with five young girls from Central America.

“They have obviously fled great harm. They are here without their parents. They are also full of hope,” Harris said. “We're talking about families, we're talking about suffering. And our approach has to be thoughtful and effective.”

The VP also toured the Paso del Norte port of entry, one of the busiest pedestrian crossings that sees thousands of people per day. There she saw where migrants are initially processed and screened plus a temporary holding area for children.

The vice president has faced months of criticism from members of both parties for declining to make the trip thus far and for her muddied explanations as to why.

Republicans have seized on the absence of both Harris and President Joe Biden from the border to paint the administration as weak on border security, seeking to revive a potent political weapon against Democrats in time for the 2022 midterm elections. With former President Donald Trump visiting the area less than a week after Harris, Republicans will be watching the vice president's visit closely for fodder for further attacks.

While various administration officials have made multiple visits to the border, the absence of Biden and Harris has left some Democrats worried that damage already has been done.

“The administration is making Democrats look weak,” said Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve heard, from Democrats and Republicans in my area, what the heck is going on with this administration?”

Texas Republicans criticized her for visiting El Paso rather than traveling to the Rio Grande Valley, which, they say, is bearing the brunt of the uptick in illegal migrant border crossings.

Republicans also preemptively hammered Harris over her border visit, with Trump claiming credit for her decision to go.