USA, positions on immigration of presidential candidates

2024-08-16 19:33:59, Kosova & Bota CNA

Immigration is one of the main issues for the November presidential election in the United States. As Voice of America correspondent Aline Barros reports, Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning based on her experience as a prosecutor. Meanwhile, Republican candidate Donald Trump attacks the work of President Biden's administration and vows mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

During campaign rallies, Vice President Kamala Harris drew on her past as California's attorney general.

"I have walked alongside law enforcement officers through the underground tunnels along the border between the United States and Mexico. I have gone after international gangs, drug traffickers and people who have entered our country illegally. I have pursued them and in all cases I have won,'' Ms Harris said.

While in office, Mr. Trump's administration built more than 80 kilometers of wall along the border. He reduced the number of refugees admitted to historically low levels and implemented border policies that separated children from their parents.

"In the November election, the American people will compare this data and tell the vice president, the person who oversaw the issue of illegal immigrants, that you did a very bad job. You are the shame of our country. You are fired. Get out of here," says Mr. Trump.

Immigration is one of the most sensitive issues in this presidential election. A survey by the "Chicago Council" organization shows that 50% of respondents say that most immigrants pose a threat to the United States. On the one hand, slightly more than half of Americans support building a wall along the border and sending troops to the border with Mexico, on the other hand, most oppose the deportation of illegal immigrants.

While Congress has failed to pass immigration reform, handling the issue remains subject to executive action and regulation, regardless of who wins the White House.

"Finding a solution is difficult in the current political environment, as any executive decision can become the subject of lawsuits, while Congress, for its part, does not have the will to act," said Corey Foreman, an immigration attorney.

Ms Harris has pledged to support a new border security bill. The Democratic candidate has emphasized the role she says former President Trump played earlier this year in preventing the passage of a new immigration law that had bipartisan support in the Senate.

"He overturned the agreement of both parties because he thought it would help him win the election. This shows that Donald Trump is not concerned about border security. He only cares about himself. "My pledge is that as President, I will bring back the border bill that Donald Trump killed and sign it," said Ms. Harris.

Mr. Trump's Republican allies have urged him to focus on areas they believe he has an advantage over Ms. Harris, particularly on immigration.

He continues to call for mass deportations of illegal immigrants and criticizes the administration of Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris for what he calls an open border policy.

"With your vote, inflation will end, illegal immigrants will return to their countries. We will stop them. Have you seen how they say: 'we have had the best border policies? The miracle. They have had the worst policies in the world," says Mr. Trump.

The US Border Patrol has registered 130 thousand immigrants in June. In June 2019, the number of immigrants who entered the United States was 104 thousand. This was Mr. Trump's last year in office. The figures for June of this year, however, have greatly decreased from the figures of December last year, when 300,000 immigrants entered the United States./ VOA