U.S. President Joe Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump traded blame for America's immigration crisis as they made dueling visits to the U.S.-Mexican border Thursday, putting the hot-button issue at the heart of their race for the White House in November.

In near-simultaneous speeches in Texas, Republican Trump called the record numbers of border crossings a "Joe Biden invasion" — while the Democratic incumbent urged his rival to stop "playing politics" with proposed migration reforms.

The split-screen moment highlighted what could be a make-or-break issue in the presidential election less than eight months away, with polls showing most voters blame Biden for the unprecedented number of illegal entries.