A lot of voters are worried about the amount of immigrants who have entered the country under the Biden administration, making immigration one of the main concerns in the November election. Republicans have consistently pressed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the subject, portraying an uncontrollably chaotic immigration system where migrants are taxing services while criminals and terrorists attempt to enter the nation by taking advantage of the confusion. The issue that helped Trump win the presidency the first time around and what he expects will win him another term is immigration. He has presented immigration as out of control in almost all of his speeches and appearances during the campaign.

Organizing the biggest domestic deportation in American history is one of Trump’s main campaign promises if reelected. Similar pledges were made by him during his initial campaign for government, although deportations never exceeded 350,000 under his watch. Trump has provided additional details on his pledges this time. He declared that the National Guard will be used to apprehend migrants. He also threatened to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which gives the president the authority to remove any foreign national from a nation with which the United States is at war. 

Trump Amps Up Rhetoric to Keep Immigration at Center of Election

During his fourth campaign tour in a month, Donald Trump delivered a divisive speech in Pennsylvania on Sunday, railing against illegal immigrants in what has become the most competitive state for the presidential race. The nearly two-hour speech in Erie featured multiple violent episodes mentioned by the Republican presidential contender, who dubbed some types of immigrants “vicious” over ten times. Although there is a lack of nationwide data on crimes perpetrated by undocumented immigrants specifically, studies indicate that their crime rate is not higher than that of American citizens. Before Election Day on November 5, Trump’s speech lacked new policy details.

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Trump thinks that immigration is a winning political issue, and he has occasionally stated that he thinks voters are more concerned about immigration than they are about other important issues like the economy. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump has frequently launched attacks on unauthorized immigrants. During his address in June 2015, when he declared his intention to run for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, Trump accused Mexico of bringing criminals and rapists into the US.

Trump threatens mass deportations of immigrants

• Trump has promised a big crackdown on immigration, including large-scale deportations. Trump, whose opposition to immigration is a key component of his reelection campaign, delivered a severe warning on his plans to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants should he win back the presidency. Trump attacked two Biden administration programs meant to expedite the immigration process and deter direct asylum requests at the southern border in an interview. “Get ready to leave because you are going out real fast,” he said, referring to the more than a million people who entered the country through these programs.
• Trump’s immigration policy is defined by his pledge to carry out large-scale crackdowns, which include mass deportations a pledge he has stated before but he never deported more than 350,000 people during his reign.
• Another program, started last year, allows up to 30,000 people from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua to enter the country each month if they can obtain financial sponsorship, clear background checks, and buy plane tickets to American airports rather than crossing the border from the south. 
• The Biden administration supports humanitarian parole as a way to improve migrant vetting procedures, reduce border instability, and impede smuggling operations.
• Republicans in particular claim that the Biden administration is allowing entrance for those who may not meet the standard requirements, arguing that these initiatives violate the immigration regulations that Congress has imposed. Republican-led states have therefore filed lawsuits to contest both policies.
• Immigration advocacy groups caution that immigrant communities are becoming fearful due to Trump’s statements about mass deportations. The legal director of the Justice Action Center, Esther Sung, pointed out that her group stood out for American sponsors willing to keep the program going when Republican-led states tried to terminate the sponsorship program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

What does voters think

A Pew Research Center survey reveals significant contrasts and points of agreement on immigration policy between registered voters who favor Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a presidential contest where immigration has emerged as a crucial and divisive topic. On immigration-related topics, the candidates have occasionally adopted radically divergent stances that have polarized their supporters.

Compared to 80% of Harris supporters who feel the same way, more than a third of Trump supporters (37%) believe that undocumented immigrants should be permitted to live and work in the United States if they are married to citizens. More civilian migrants fleeing conflict or violence should be admitted, according to over half of Trump supporters (49%) and most Harris backers (85%).