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If you watched the September one presidential debate between Kamala Harris And Donald Trumpyou probably remember the shocking moment the Republican candidate accused Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, of eating the pets of good old innocent Americans. The comment was so absurd – and factually incorrect— that it went viral in the form of a now tragically hilarious TikTok sound (“They eat the cats. They eat the dogs”) for Gen Z and millennials to dance to.

And while we all love comic relief, Trump’s false accusation was fundamentally sincere and perfectly illustrates his stance on immigration. The former president has long made it his mission to “make America great again”: preventing immigrants from entering the United States. During his first term, he insisted he would build a wall along the southern border “and Mexico would pay for it.” Nothing like that happened, but Trump hopes that if he is re-elected, he can continue this passion project.

Now that he faces Harris in the presidential race, the Republican is attacking Democrats’ supposedly lenient border policies. Although Harris acknowledges that illegal immigration must be stopped, she and Democrats hope to continue to focus on strengthening asylum laws for people who want to cross the border in hopes of finding a better life in the United States. United.

Immigration is one of the top issues on this year’s ballot, and both candidates have worked to win over Arizona, the border state with a large population of Latino voters that could swing the election.

Below, we break down where each candidate stands on the question.

Kamala Harris

Democrats have a more humane approach to securing the border than Republicans, but Harris stressed that in no way means she supports the entry of criminals, like Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, suggested. The vice president reminded the Republican Party that for years her job as California attorney general was to keep criminals off the streets and uphold the law, but that calling all immigrants criminals is a question Republican.

“As California’s attorney general, I know what a crime looks like. Let me tell you, an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal. she wrote about (formerly Twitter) in 2017.

She accused Trump of “fanning the flames of fear and division” by vilifying immigrants.

Rather than expelling Dreamers and separating families at the border, Harris — the first Black or South Asian woman ever nominated for U.S. president — wants to find a solution for migrants.

Under the administration of Joe Biden, of which Harris is vice president, illegal border crossings have decreased significantly thanks to the president’s decision. asylum ban. Harris nevertheless supports comprehensive immigration reform and wants to strengthen protections for immigrants and asylum seekers. Harris also works to create better pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and improve processes to help Dreamers obtain their citizenship. (A Dreamer is an immigrant who was brought to the country illegally as a child, but has since grown to adulthood in the country and identifies as American.)

“I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between securing our border or creating a safe, orderly and humane immigration system,” Harris said earlier this year. “We can and must do both.”

In summary, Kamala Harris:

• Believes in protecting immigrant communities.

• Wants to reform our asylum system.

• Wants to help migrants and dreamers obtain legal residency or citizenship status.

• Doesn’t believe in expelling the Dreamers.

• Does not support illegal border crossings.

• Does not believe in separating families at the border.

• He doesn’t believe immigrants are criminals.

• Does not believe in letting criminals go free, regardless of their citizenship or race.

Donald Trump

While Trump – who has continually questioned and mocked his opponent Harris’ race throughout his 2024 campaign – insists he is not racist, the candidate’s plans Republicans for a Better America include supporting the wealthy upper class and deporting migrants.

During his presidency, Trump launched a brutal “zero tolerance” policy that resulted in the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents at the southern border. The move was widely criticized as inhumane, so much so that the administration eventually put a stop to it.

Today, in outlining his priorities for 2025, Trump and his party listed immigration as one of their top two concerns, the other being “defeating inflation.”

“Republicans are proposing an aggressive plan to end open border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal aliens, deadly drugs and migrant crime,” the party said . states on its platform. “We will end the invasion at the southern border, restore law and order, protect American sovereignty, and provide a secure and prosperous future for all Americans.” »

In summary, Donald Trump:

• He still wants to build the wall.

• Wants to expel migrants who crossed the border illegally. (He and his running mate Vance are unclear whether this includes unaccompanied children.)

• Wants to stop processing asylum applications except for migrants who follow legal procedures at specific ports of entry. (This may take months or even years.)

• Lobbyed for a reduction in the legal immigration pathways mentioned above.

• Wants to “reverse the Democrats’ open borders policy.”

• Adopted a “zero tolerance” policy that separated thousands of families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

• He wants to expel the Dreamers.

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