Sep 28, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trump pounds immigration message after Harris' border visit

Lauren Floyd

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on September 28 — Former President Trump delivers remarks at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center in Wisconsin on Sept. 28. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Trump spent much of his immigration rally in Wisconsin Saturday criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris, who a day earlier promised harsher asylum restrictions on her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as Democratic presidential nominee.

Why it matters: Both presidential candidates are hoping to gain swing state votes, and Trump is betting on hopes for immigration reform tipping scales in his favor.

What he's saying: Trump addressed Harris' remarks at the border, accusing her of lying about promises she made.

"She's been there almost four years. Why didn't you do anything," he asked.

During her Friday visit at a port of entry being modernized in Douglas, Arizona, Harris accused Trump of putting politics before border security and helping block a Biden-backed border security bill she promised to support if elected.

Harris also promised to bar reentry for five years in cases of illegal border crossings, to pursue more serious charges against "repeat violators" and to bar requests for asylum that do not come from a legal point of entry.

Catch up quick: In a push for mass deportations, Trump and running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) have repeated a false online conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Local officials maintain they've received no credible reports substantiating the accounts, one of which Trump shared during the presidential debate on Sept. 10.
Days later, the former president announced that if elected, he would implement the "largest deportation" in U.S. history, starting in Ohio and Colorado.

By the numbers: 88% of Trump supporters but only 27% of Harris supporters favor mass deportations for those in the country illegally, according to a Pew Research Center study published on Friday.

Strengthening border security gained support from 96% of Trump supporters and 80% of Harris supporters in the survey of 9,201 adults.
It was conducted through phone and online interviews from Aug. 5-11 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points.

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Trump pounds immigration message after Harris' border visit

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