Trump Vows to End Billboards for Illegal Immigrants

Former President Donald Trump has pledged to end the use of taxpayer funds to erect billboards in Texas offering help to the friends and family members of illegal immigrants in federal custody.

"Your brother in immigration custody has rights, we're here to help."

The OIDO is an independent office set up to aid immigrants with complaints about potential violations of immigration detention standards. It also provides oversight of immigration detention facilities. It was established in 2019.

However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol sources tell Fox News they are furious about the ads, given the ongoing pressures on funding due to the crisis at the southern border.

Trump is not the only politician to be infuriated by the billboards, with multiple Texas lawmakers expressing outrage to Fox News.

The controversy over the billboards comes as immigration has rocketed to the top of voters' priorities for the 2024 election after a massive border crisis that started in 2021.

The Biden administration has said it needs more funding to fix what it says is a "broken" immigration system and, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, has pushed for a bipartisan border security bill introduced earlier this year.

The administration says a presidential order in June has led to a 55% drop in encounters, but critics have noted that comes after historic highs of encounters in prior years.

Trump has pledged to launch a mass deportation campaign and restore Trump-era border policies like wall construction and the Remain-in-Mexico policy. Both were ended by the Biden administration.