The US presidential race and the issue of immigration

2024-09-15 22:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The US presidential race and the issue of immigration

Illustrative photo. Source: AP

In the debate between Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump less than two months before election day, their differences on the issue of immigration came to the fore. But despite their differing positions on the issue, neither candidate has yet offered a comprehensive proposal on immigration.

Immigration was an important topic during the first presidential debate. While Vice President Kamala Harris did not respond to a question about the increased number of immigrants at the US-Mexico border, former President Donald Trump repeated his false claims that immigrants have caused an increase in crime, saying throughout the world of crime has decreased, while in the United States it has increased due to the entry into the country of millions of immigrants.

Studies show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States.

But in his campaign rallies, Mr. Trump has taken a tough line on immigration, promising to intensify his efforts to address the issue if he becomes president again.

Former President Donald Trump

"If I win, on day one, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history," he said.

Immigration experts have raised questions about this plan.

"What is it about? Are there going to be police officers and immigration officials showing up at everyone's homes, asking for identification documents," asks David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of the Immigration Study Initiative.

When Ms. Harris was asked about illegal border crossings, which spiked during President Biden's administration before stepping down in recent months, she accused Mr. Trump of asking Republicans in Congress to block a bipartisan bill to immigration reform. She has said during the campaign that she supports the bipartisan bill on border security, which includes increasing the number of border patrol agents.

"If I am elected president, I will sign this bill." We can preserve America's heritage as a proud country of immigrants while simultaneously reforming our immigration system. We can create a pathway to citizenship and secure our border,” Ms. Harris said.

Experts point out that without the commitment of Congress, proper reform of the immigration system is unattainable.

"None of them talked about the importance of the Congress. The president can make big changes. But the president also has limitations regarding what he can do", says David Dyssegaard Kallick, director of the organization Nisma for the Study of Immigration.

Another debate between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump appears unlikely. Voters will have to closely monitor their immigration plans as the presidential campaign continues./ VOA