Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump tour: Border patrol agents pull out as tycoon heads to the US-Mexico border

Trump was due meet members of the union on Thursday

Heather Saul
Friday 24 July 2015 11:03 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A union representing border patrol agents has pulled out of Donald Trump’s campaign tour hours before the business tycoon was due to head south to the US-Mexico border.

Trump has been embroiled in a number of controversies in the weeks since he launched his presidential bid, but his first statement claiming Mexican immigrants were criminals and rapists has proved more consequential than his many other contentious claims.

On Thursday, Trump felt the repercussions of his statement once again when the Texas union announced its decision to back out of any future events involving him.

"After careful consideration of all of the factors involved in this event ... it has been decided by Local 2455 to pull out of all events involving Donald Trump," the union said in a statement given to CNN.

"Make no mistake, our border with Mexico is not secure and there's no doubt that we need to have an honest discussion about that with the American people."

Major retailers and networks have dropped Trump over his comments, while his opponents have been quick to blast his words and actions. But negative attention has done little to damage his showing in the polls and he now has a double-digit lead over the other Republican contenders.

Trump is expected to continue his journey to the border as normal.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in