Harris vs. Trump on Immigration: Election 2024 Positions \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Immigration remains a key issue in the upcoming November election, with Republicans attacking the Biden administration’s approach. Vice President Kamala Harris advocates for stricter border measures while Trump promises mass deportations and tougher policies. Both candidates present starkly different visions for U.S. immigration reform.
Harris vs. Trump on Immigration: Quick Looks
- Immigration is a top issue for voters in the 2024 election.
- Republicans criticize Biden and Harris over perceived border control failures.
- Biden administration struggles to balance asylum restrictions and pathways to citizenship.
- Harris supports tightening asylum restrictions while Trump promises mass deportations.
- Harris emphasizes enforcement experience and criticizes Trump’s zero-tolerance policy.
- Trump vows largest deportation campaign and reinstates past immigration policies.
- Harris aims for a comprehensive immigration reform including pathways to citizenship.
- Trump targets ending birthright citizenship and expanding a travel ban.
Deep Look
Immigration has emerged as one of the most pressing issues in the upcoming November election, with many voters voicing concerns over the significant number of migrants who have entered the United States since the start of the Biden administration. This issue has become a focal point of the election campaign, with both sides offering starkly different views and approaches to immigration policy.
Republicans have repeatedly targeted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that the current administration has allowed the U.S. immigration system to spiral out of control. Their criticisms paint a picture of an overwhelmed system, with migrants overburdening public services while creating security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminals and would-be terrorists. In the face of these criticisms, the Biden administration has had to adjust its immigration policies, adopting measures that both tighten border security and expand legal pathways to citizenship.
President Biden came into office promising a more humane approach to immigration—one that focused on compassion and opportunity. However, almost immediately, his administration found itself struggling to manage the flow of migrants at the southern border, leading to a series of policy shifts aimed at reducing the number of asylum seekers. Although they implemented more restrictive policies on asylum, Biden officials also introduced new channels for migrants to enter the U.S. legally and made provisions for those already in the country to apply for citizenship. The administration points to the declining number of border crossings this past summer as proof that these policies are making a difference, but the debate over immigration remains heated, particularly as Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump square off over the issue.
Harris Emphasizes Border Security
On her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her plan to take a stricter stance on asylum claims, proposing to extend the restrictions introduced by the Biden administration earlier this summer. This move signals a shift for Harris, who has largely avoided the topic of immigration in recent public appearances and has provided few concrete details regarding her plans. The cautious approach reflects how contentious immigration has been for the Biden administration.
Initially, President Biden campaigned on restoring America’s image as a haven for those fleeing persecution, but once in office, the administration faced increasing pressure to address the growing numbers of migrants at the southern border. This surge led to frustration not only from Republicans but also from Democratic-led cities dealing with an overwhelming influx of migrants that strained local services and resources. In response, the administration adopted a “carrot-and-stick” approach: restricting the eligibility for asylum for those arriving at the border while establishing more orderly pathways for those seeking to enter legally.
Harris has focused much of her recent rhetoric on enforcing border security and combating drug trafficking. She has highlighted her experience as California’s attorney general, during which she walked through drug smuggler tunnels and prosecuted gangs involved in cross-border narcotics and human trafficking. In her campaign materials and public addresses, Harris has emphasized her law enforcement credentials and vowed to take a tough stance against illegal activities along the border.
Early in Biden’s presidency, Harris was assigned the task of addressing the “root causes” of migration, focusing specifically on Central American nations like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Republicans were quick to criticize Harris, mislabeling her role as a “border czar” responsible for all issues related to border security. However, her role was more limited—aimed at mitigating the long-term factors driving migration from Central America. During a visit to Guatemala, she famously told migrants considering the journey to the U.S., “Do not come,” a statement meant to dissuade illegal crossings.
Harris has pointed to Republican actions as contributing to the current border crisis, accusing former President Trump of undermining a bipartisan Senate compromise earlier this year that would have strengthened asylum standards and increased resources for border agents, immigration judges, and asylum officers. Harris said that, if elected, she would revive this bill and push it through to become law.
Since a record surge in crossings in December 2023, the number of migrants arriving at the southern border has decreased, with Harris and the administration attributing this decline to their restrictive asylum measures. Cooperation from Mexico in stepping up border enforcement has also played a significant role in reducing migrant flows.
In her immigration platform, Harris supports comprehensive reform, which includes pathways to citizenship for immigrants without legal status and a faster track for those who came to the country as children. However, Harris has remained quiet on whether she would continue certain Biden administration programs that allowed over a million migrants to enter the country legally. This approach has been described as a “carrot” to incentivize migrants to follow official channels rather than crossing illegally.
One such program allows migrants in Mexico to use an app called CBP One to schedule an appointment to present themselves at an official U.S. border crossing. Another policy permits up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the U.S. for up to two years, provided they have a financial sponsor, pass security vetting, and arrive by plane at an American airport. Harris has not yet addressed her plans for these programs.
Harris has also sharply criticized Trump’s infamous zero-tolerance policies, which led to the separation of thousands of migrant families in an effort to deter illegal immigration. The legacy of family separation remains a deeply controversial point, one that Harris continues to use as evidence of the cruelty of Trump-era policies.
Trump’s Pledge for Mass Deportations
Immigration was a cornerstone of Donald Trump’s campaign when he first ran for the White House in 2016, and it remains a key issue as he seeks re-election in 2024. In almost every public appearance and campaign speech, Trump portrays the current immigration situation as being chaotic and uncontrolled.
One of Trump’s major promises, should he be re-elected, is to carry out the largest domestic deportation campaign in U.S. history. During his previous administration, deportations peaked at 350,000 in a single year, a number that fell short of the 432,000 deportations carried out under President Barack Obama in 2013. This time, Trump has provided additional specifics, including a plan to deploy the National Guard to round up migrants and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which would allow the president to deport any noncitizen from a country with which the U.S. is at war.
Trump has also promised to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the U.S. under programs established by the Biden administration. These mass deportations would undoubtedly face significant legal challenges and would be expensive to execute, relying heavily on the cooperation of other countries in accepting deportees.
Trump aims to reinstate several policies from his first term, including the “Remain in Mexico” program, which required migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico for their cases to be processed, and Title 42, a public health rule used to curb immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also pledged to expand his earlier travel ban, which targeted citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, and institute new ideological screenings for immigrants to prevent “dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs” from entering the country.
Another significant part of Trump’s immigration agenda is to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents who are both undocumented. Such a move would fundamentally alter a key tenet of American citizenship and has already sparked significant debate regarding its legality and constitutionality.
The Stark Divide on Immigration Policy
The divide between Harris and Trump on immigration policy is stark. Harris favors a balanced approach that includes strengthening border security while also creating legal pathways for citizenship and entry. She highlights her prosecutorial background as evidence of her capability to tackle drug smuggling and other cross-border crimes, while also pushing for comprehensive immigration reform that provides a legal status pathway for many undocumented migrants already in the U.S.
On the other hand, Trump’s approach is characterized by hardline measures and sweeping promises, including mass deportations, reinstating controversial border policies, and ending birthright citizenship. His portrayal of immigration as an ongoing crisis is intended to rally his base, which sees strong border enforcement as a cornerstone of American security and sovereignty.
As the November election approaches, immigration remains a powerful and divisive topic that could significantly influence voter decisions. Both candidates are using their platforms to address voter concerns about the state of the southern border, the influx of migrants, and the broader immigration system’s future. Harris seeks to convince voters that a balanced, enforceable, and humane approach is the solution, while Trump aims to revive his previous policies and push even further to tighten immigration controls and drastically reduce new entries into the country.
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