SAN ANTONIO — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s visit to the U.S.-Mexico border promises new challenges for the GOP’s years-in-the-making push to attract Hispanic voters.

Trump has gone beyond the party’s hardline stance on illegal immigration, calling immigrants who cross the border illegally “criminals” and “rapists” and accusing Mexico’s government of sending felons into the U.S.

His trip Thursday comes amid an escalating feud with Republican rivals and criticism from members of both parties, guaranteeing the billionaire developer plenty of attention from voters and reporters.

The reality television star is set to make multiple public appearances in Laredo, Texas, including at an afternoon news conference on the border. He also plans to meet members of the union that represents U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and speak to other law enforcement officers.