On a significant day at the Democratic National Convention, where Vice President Kamala Harris was set to give her formal acceptance speech, former President Donald Trump turned his spotlight onto immigration, a topic he has frequently critiqued Harris for.
On Thursday, Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Arizona, having spent the week moving through various battleground states. His focus remained on policy-driven speeches in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. Both Trump and his running mate JD Vance engaged in efforts to counter the messaging from the DNC, which is being held in Chicago.
During his speech, Trump stated, “As Kamala gives her convention speech tonight. She will not mention the victims.” He seemed to be referring to crimes committed by migrants in the country illegally. He continued, “She won’t even talk about them, although, now that she sees us, maybe she will. She will not say their names or express remorse to their families. Kamala says she wants to talk about the future. No, these people want to go back to the safe past. We’re going to have a future with open borders and all of the other problems.”
Now facing Harris in the upcoming presidential race, Trump has sharply focused on criticizing her immigration policies, blaming her for the current border situation and inaccurately referring to her as the “border czar.”
The term “border czar” arose when President Joe Biden tasked Harris with overseeing diplomatic talks with Northern Triangle countries to address migration’s root causes. Despite this, the actual responsibility for the border falls to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Nevertheless, Republicans dubbed her the “border czar.”
Harris has defended her role and stated through a TV ad that as president, her administration would “hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking.”
Following his border tour, Trump is set to address the public next to the very border wall he had championed, with a long stretch of this structure serving as his backdrop.
This echoes his promise from his initial presidential campaign to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Just as he had vowed then, he continues to promise that his administration will finish the wall. During his term, approximately 450 miles of barriers were constructed, most of which were upgrades to existing structures.
Border security and immigration remain key issues in Trump’s current campaign. The former president has consistently leveraged anti-immigrant rhetoric, claiming that illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and displacing American workers.
His recent harsh remarks have painted migrants as violent criminals, even though studies show that U.S. citizens commit crimes at higher rates than unauthorized immigrants. According to a 2020 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “Relative to undocumented immigrants, U.S.-born citizens are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes.”
At an event in Asheboro, North Carolina, Trump hinted at the presence of migrants in the country illegally, saying, “We probably have a few here. Welcome, welcome, but we probably have a few here, and [Harris is] all for it,” as the crowd chanted, “Build that wall.”
Throughout the week, Trump has maintained a steady focus on key issues: the economy, crime and safety, and national security. His supporters have encouraged him to concentrate on his potential second-term agenda, rather than engaging in personal attacks.
Trump also took aim at DNC speakers, especially former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, accusing them of employing “nasty” tones in their speeches. “Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle. They always say, please stick to policy, don’t get personal. Yet they are getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?” questioned Trump. He added, “I try and be nice to people, you know, but it’s a little tough when they get personal.”
