Former US President Donald Trump seized the opportunity during a rally in Austin, Texas, on Friday to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration's immigration policies. Addressing supporters, Trump declared Texas "ground zero for the worst border invasion in the history of the world."
Trump accused Harris of having "deliberately dismantled our border," stating that she "threw open the gates to an invasion of criminal migrants from prisons, jails, and insane asylums from all over the world." He further claimed that individuals from 181 different countries are entering the US illegally, saying, “We're a dumping ground. We're like a garbage can for the world.”
Trump’s vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, during a town hall event in North Carolina suggested that Trump would close the southern US border by January 20, 2025. Vance argued that the media and Democrats portray Republicans as "bad people" for advocating border security while ignoring the crimes committed by illegal migrants.
At a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, the next day on Saturday, Vance pointed out that "open borders" negatively impact education for children in the state. “We’ve got thousands of children in Pennsylvania schools who don’t even speak English, which of course means that a lot of Pennsylvania children are not getting the education that they need,” he said, emphasizing the need for legal immigration.
Trump’s harsh rhetoric around immigration has attracted criticism, especially regarding his promise to initiate the largest deportation effort in US history if he wins the election. He referred to the deportation process as a "bloody story".
