In the upcoming 2024 US presidential election, immigration will spearhead the debate between the two major contenders: the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the incumbent, Kamala Harris.
In a recent interview with Tesla’s chief technology officer Elon Musk regarding X, Trump guaranteed to deport what would be the largest number of illegal immigrants in the history of the United States, should he win the presidency, arguing that the flow of immigrants from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East was posing a threat to the nation’s security? He categorized the Biden administration, and by extension Harris, as having allowed “criminals” into the country.
In defending his position, Trump presented the proposed mass deportation of individuals as a sensible action in order to bring sanity to the US social system, advance the work of immigration officers in the supposed fight against terrorism, and stabilize the US economy.
At the same time, Harris officially entered the race for the nomination of the Democratic candidate in the presidential elections. Harris speaks more actively about the desire for “effective border control” and promises to actively promote the bill on immigration reform if elected. The vice president, who was a prosecutor in a border state, has accused Trump of hampering bipartisan attempts to deal with it.
Harris herself, before becoming a senator and later a vice presidential candidate, literally boasted of her record in combating the Mexican drug cartels, having acted for some time as the attorney general of a border state: “I was the attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels, and the human traffickers, and I prosecuted them in case after case, and I won, so I know what I’m talking about
Harris also tried to play up her tough stance on immigration with a new campaign spot noting her support for the “toughest border control bill in decades”, vowing to hire more border patrol agents and promising to target fentanyl and human trafficking.
The candidates’ contrasting views on immigration policies paved the way for a debate on one of the country’s biggest concerns. Vice President Joe Biden continues to promise an end to election-influenced immigration, enhancement of border security, and overhaul of immigration systems.
When the 2024 presidential election finally takes place, the electorate will be presented with two starkly different approaches to one of the most hot-button public issues of the day: immigration to the United States.
