By Ernesto Castañeda

Trump announced his candidacy in 2015 by viciously attacking immigrants, Mexicans, in particular. Many spectators and commentators waved it off, focusing on other aspects of his candidacy. Nonetheless, immigration restrictionism became the core of his campaign and an area of strong policy action during his presidency (the Zero Tolerance policy that led to forced family separations at the border, Muslim asylum bans, and Title 42, to name a few).

During the Presidential Debate on June 27, 2024, besides a coarse voice and low energy from Joe Biden, what stood out to me was Trump’s obsession with immigrants and his purposeful scapegoating of them in trying to create a wedge between the many voting subgroups.

Few analyses have underlined this, so I went back and analyzed the debate from two weeks ago, question by question, answer by answer. We have replicated the analyses, and it holds.

We found that 55% of the answers to all questions and follow-ups included mentions of immigration, even though there were only three explicit sections where the moderators brought up the topic. Trump was the main culprit, mentioning immigration in 42% of his interventions during the debate on June 27, 2024. See our tally below.

In terms of substance, some of the most dangerous statements include:

Trump stating confidently that, “As sure as you’re sitting there, the fact is that his big kill on the black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They’re taking black jobs now and it could be 18. It could be 19 and even 20 million people. They’re taking black jobs and they’re taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re going to see something that’s going to be the worst in our history. “

Factcheck: There are not 18, 19, nor 20 new million undocumented immigrants in the country since Biden took office. Contrary to stereotypes, immigrants create jobs by allowing restaurants and businesses to stay open and expand, they increase demand for goods and services, they start their own businesses and hire citizens and other migrants. There is no such a thing as a “black job” anymore, and black unemployment is at one of its lowest rates. Same with Hispanics. This answer is clearly trying to pit Blacks and Hispanics against recent arrivals and increase the optics of chaos created by the lack of overall housing and the busing of immigrants to certain cities.

TRUMP: “These millions and millions of people coming in, they’re trying to put them on Social Security. He will wipe out Social Security. He will wipe out Medicare.” 

Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for many of these programs, although many of them contribute to them with their paychecks. Immigrant families use fewer welfare programs than they are eligible for, as we discuss in detail in a chapter of “Immigration Realities: Challenging Common Misperceptions.”

TRUMP: “We have a border that’s the most dangerous place anywhere in the world – considered the most dangerous place anywhere in the world.” 

As we discuss in the book, the US southern border region is one of the safest places in the country for citizens.

Maybe one of the most obvious time Trump used immigration to deflect critiques was his answer to the political violence incited on January 6, “And let me tell you about January 6th, on January 6th, we had a great border, nobody coming through, very few. On January 6th, we were energy independent. On January 6th, we had the lowest taxes ever, we had the lowest regulations ever. On January 6th, we were respected all over the world.”

Immigration-Specific Questions and Answers

I. Initial Immigration Question

“President Biden, a record number of migrants have illegally crossed the southern border on your watch, overwhelming border states and overburdening cities such as New York and Chicago, and in some cases causing real safety and security concerns. Given that, why should voters trust you to solve this crisis?”

Biden: 

Discussed his administration’s efforts to manage the border crisis. Biden highlighted:

· Efforts to get a bipartisan agreement to change the situation, which -among other things- would have funded an increase in the number of border police and asylum officers.

o These efforts were explicitly blocked by Trump for electoral concerns. 

· A reduction of 40% in the number of people arriving between ports of entry.

o True, largely due to creating new avenues for legal immigration, processing asylum seekers differently, and increasing dependence on Mexico to settle, manage, and deport migrants. Now, some put it at 50%.

· Criticism of Trump’s family separation policy, referring to babies being separated from their mothers and put in cages.

Trump:

Criticized Biden’s handling of the border, claiming:

· The border was the safest in history during his administration.

o Untrue. The border was closed to asylum seekers and others towards the end of the Trump administration because of the pandemic and the related Title 42.

· Biden opened the borders, allowing dangerous individuals, including those from prisons, mental institutions, and terrorists, to enter the country.

o False. The U.S. does not have an open border. Many now need appointments to even apply for asylum through the CBPOne App. Others need to prove they can afford to live in the U.S. or have established family members who can support and be responsible for them. The number of deportations under Biden is largerin many months than during the Trump administration.

· Biden’s policies have led to increased chaos and danger.

o That is a common perception, but it is not backed by the facts. There have been logistic issues for emergency housing and support, which is new for non-refugees but has become the de facto way to manage unaccompanied minors who are not from Mexico and asylum-seekers without established family members in the U.S. This is a short-term budgetary issue for some cities but will lead to an economic boom in coming years.

I. Follow-up Immigration Question

“President Trump, staying on the topic of immigration, you’ve said that you’re going to carry out, quote, ‘the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.’ Does that mean that you will deport every undocumented immigrant in America, including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens, and including those who have lived here for decades? And if so, how will you do it?”

Trump: 

Detailed his plans for immigration enforcement, stating:

· His administration will deport undocumented immigrants, especially those who are criminals or dangerous.

· Accusations of Biden of allowing criminals into the country.

· Emphasized the need to remove dangerous individuals to protect American citizens.

Biden: 

Responded to Trump’s accusations, stating: 

· Every claim made by Trump was a lie.

· Defense for the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and border security.

· Emphasis on efforts to reduce illegal crossings and improve the system.

Donald Trump

· Trump’s Statement: “The only jobs he created are for illegal immigrants and bounce-back jobs; they’re bounced back from the COVID.”

· Context: Biden was bragging about creating a large amount of jobs. Yes, many of the jobs created are those lost during the pandemic and could be called “bounce-back” jobs, but the number of jobs in June 2024 is higher than before the pandemic. The employment rate of the native-born is back to pre-pandemic levels. The labor force and, therefore, the economy have grown because of new immigrants.

· Statement: “We’re like a Third World nation. Between weaponization of his election, trying to go after his political opponent, all of the things he’s done, we’ve become like a Third World nation. And it’s a shame the damage he’s done to our country. And I’d love to ask him, and will, why he allowed millions of people to come in here from prisons, jails and mental institutions to come into our country and destroy our country.”

· Context: When answering a question about the deficit, Trump pivoted to criticize Biden’s policies, including those on immigration, that have led to the deterioration of the country while likening it to a third-world country. He specifically accused Biden of allowing large numbers of dangerous individuals into the country. The mention of prisons and mental institutions is likely a reference to people who came largely to Miami through the port of Mariel, Cuba, as described in works of fiction like Scarface. Those coming were less wealthy Cubans than in the first waves and included a few that may have been political prisoners or LGTBQ. A few could have engaged in crime, but the minority did not, and most of them have become part of middle-class families. 

· Statement: “He has killed so many people at our border by allowing… all of these people to come in.”

· Context: Trump made this statement while discussing Biden’s immigration policies. Yes, some immigrants have committed heinous crimes, but they are closer to the exception; undocumented immigrants’ crime rates are around half of those of U.S. citizens, so it is unfair to highlight crimes just from this group. 

Joe Biden

· Biden’s statement: “We found ourselves in a situation where, when he was president, he was taking – separating babies from their mothers, putting them in cages, making sure the families were separated. That’s not the right way to go.”

· Context: Biden said this when asked about immigration and border security. It was criticism of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy that separated families arriving between ports of entry at the US-Mexico border. 

· Statement: “Every single thing he said is a lie, every single one. For example, veterans are a hell of a lot better off since I passed the PACT Act. One million of them now have insurance, and their families have it – and their families have it. Because what happened, whether was Agent Orange or burn pits, they’re all being covered now. And he opposed – his group opposed that.”

· Context: Biden was responding to Trump’s critique of the administration’s handling of many issues, among them immigration. Biden was fact-checking Trump and later bragged about his administration’s achievements. While not directly about immigration, it was part of a defense against Trump’s allegations, which included criticisms of Biden’s immigration policies leading to some veterans being homeless, a sad issue and policy concern that predates Biden’s presidency and is not directly related to immigration. I have conducted research on the subject.

Glossary of Immigration-Related Terms Used by Candidates

Biden:

· Immigrant

· Migrants

· Border

· Illegally crossed

· Border police

· Asylum officers

· Separating babies

· Putting them in cages

· Families separated

· Illegal crossings

Trump: 

· Illegal immigrants

· Migrants

· Border

· Mental institutions

· Prisons

· Criminals

· Domestic deportation

· Undocumented immigrant

· Illegal crossings

· Immigration enforcement

· Open borders

· Criminals

· Dangerous individuals

Terms used solely by Biden: 

· Immigrant

· Asylum officers

· Separating babies

· Putting them in cages

· Families separated

Terms used solely by Trump:

· Illegal immigrants

· Mental institutions

· Prisons

· Criminals

· Domestic deportation

· Undocumented immigrant

· Immigration enforcement

· Open borders

· Dangerous individuals

As this glossary of terms used shows, the way that Trump discusses immigration is incendiary and aims to create a sense of fear of immigrants.

For more context on family separation read Reunited. For the truth behind immigration processes pre-order Immigration Realities. 

Parts or the whole of this piece can be republished with acknowledgment of the author.
I acknowledge the help of Pablo Landsmanas Gary and Alexander Castañeda to conduct this analysis. Isabel Leong helped with copy-editing.

The debate transcript can be found at: https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/27/politics/read-biden-trump-debate-rush-transcript/index.html