Comparing the two candidates’ policies and stances on one of the biggest issues for voters.
Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday, where she is expected to take a more hawkish view on immigration than any Democrat in recent memory.
Immigration policy is highly salient in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. It is a top issue for voters’ in November’s election and in Arizona, which is the only battleground state that borders Mexico.
A poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration compared to 36 percent who trust Harris. That is a gap that has been closing in recent weeks, as border crossings have fallen sharply in the aftermath of President Biden’s executive order limiting asylum claims.
Harris’ sharper tone on securing the border reflects Democrats’ belief that they can continue to narrow that gap.
It also reflects shifting public attitudes towards immigration. According to Gallup, 55 percent of voters — including nearly 30 percent of Democrats — want to see new curbs on immigration, the highest recorded figure since 2001.Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump: Immigration and Border Policies
Harris and Trump offer different approaches to U.S. immigration and border policy, reflecting broader ideological differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms.
In outlining its priorities, the GOP ranked immigration as one of its top two concerns, announcing plans to secure the border after the November election, assuming a Trump victory.
The party’s platform declares: “Republicans offer an aggressive plan to stop the open-border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal aliens, deadly drugs, and migrant crime”, the platform reads.
“We will end the invasion at the southern border, restore law and order, protect American sovereignty, and deliver a safe and prosperous future for all Americans.”
In comparison, the Democratic Party platform stays away from terms like “invasion” and states: “Congress must pass legislation to reform our asylum system modeled after the bipartisan Senate deal so that we can quickly identify and provide protection to those who are fleeing persecution and ensure it is not used as an alternative to legal immigration by others.
“Democrats believe that asylum processing should be efficient and fair, and that those who are determined not to have a legal basis to remain should be quickly removed.”
According to the party’s platform, the president should have emergency authority to expel migrants who are crossing unlawfully and stop processing asylum claims except for those using a safe and orderly process at ports of entry.
The powers should come with humanitarian exceptions for vulnerable populations, including unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking, according to the document.
The Democratic Party platform offers something of a more humane approach to migrants, while the GOP and Trump’s approach is grounded in strict enforcement and deterrence.
Trump’s border policies during his presidency focused heavily on reducing unauthorized immigration, including the partial construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, expanding immigration enforcement, and introducing stricter asylum rules.
Trump also pushed for a reduction in legal immigration pathways, promoting measures like limiting family-based immigration.
