Washington, DC — With both Donald Trump and Joe Biden officially moving into general election mode, the salience and politics of immigration remain a major campaign focus. Below are a few key developments and commentaries from recent days, capturing the important stakes and contrasts and a reminder that what Donald Trump is proposing on immigration is both unpopular and dangerous for Americans and American democracy.
According to Zachary Mueller, Senior Research Director of America’s Voice:
“As we enter the general election, the political conversation about immigration has made clear the stakes for the nation and our democracy. Trump and his allies are promising an unpopular radical vision that includes a military operation of mass roundups, detention and deportation, while amplifying a conspiracy that falsely blames immigrants for polluting the ballot box and setting up a pretext for another violent assault on our democracy. As this ugly and dangerous vision becomes apparent to more Americans, President Biden and Democrats have a renewed opportunity to draw forceful contrasts that better connect with the majority of Americans. Trump’s dystopian vision is in stark contrast to the American spirit embodied by the Statue of Liberty that recognizes immigrants as essential to the American project, not a threat to it. Democrats can and should speak to this hopeful vision of our future with the confidence that the solid majority is with them.”
Key reads include:
- Must-read syndicated column from Catherine Rampell captures the dangers and unpopularity of Donald Trump’s chilling immigration vision. On top of the cruelty and failures of his first term record on immigration, Trump’s pledged immigration policies for a second term are chilling (see AV’s recent report and analysis, “Trump’s 2025 Immigration Agenda”). As Rampell captured in her column this week, the specifics of the Trump immigration vision are very unpopular outside the MAGA base, examining specifically his plans to terminate DACA and legal status/opportunities for Dreamers; family separations; militarized mass-detention camps; and slashing legal immigration.
- Susan Glasser goes deep on Trump’s ugly vision in a new piece in The New Yorker, “I Listened to Trump’s Rambling, Unhinged, Vituperative Georgia Rally—and So Should You.” Glasser writes, “Trump’s appearance in Georgia…reflected a man not rooted in any kind of reality, one who struggled to remember his words and who was, by any definition, incoherent, disconnected, and frequently malicious” including his continued exploitative politicization of the tragic killing of Laken Riley. Glasser calls on Americans to “watch his speeches. Share them widely. Don’t look away.”
- New battleground poll from Global Strategy Group and The Immigration Hub underscores strong public support for balanced approach to immigration – orderly border AND pathways to citizenship: A new battleground poll conducted Global Strategy Group of 1,200 voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and released by the Immigration Hub found “strong support for delivering both border security solutions and legal pathways for immigrants currently in the U.S.,” with 81% of voters supporting a pathway to citizenship for “undocumented immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for many years, pass a background check, and pay taxes,” and more than 70% support for “investing in border security measures such as increased screening capacity, improving technology and infrastructure at the border, and increasing the number of border officials.” Battleground voters in the poll also opposed family separation (65%) and banning asylum (55%). Read the accompanying Immigration Hub memo here and find an updated deep dive from America’s Voice on the details and implications of American immigration public opinion.
Also see related content from America’s Voice this week:
- Read America’s Voice analysis “Setting the Stage for Another January 6th: Anti-Immigrant Conspiracies Help Delegitimize Elections and Democracy” highlighting how right-wing mainstreaming of the fake threat of non-citizen voting and the reliance on “invasion” and “replacement” conspiracies are not just dangerous, but also lay the groundwork for delegitimizing the election
- Watch the America’s Voice TikTok on the chilling implications of Trump’s plans for a second term.
