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With 130 days to go until the presidential elections in the United States, tempers are high, a situation that was reflected during the first debate between the Democrat and current president, Joseph Biden, and the Republican and former president, Donald Trump, the latter pointing out and pointing out the poor management of the current administration in immigration matters, for which he resorted to lies.
This Thursday, a presidential debate was held between the two presidential candidates, an unprecedented event so far in advance of the elections, and before both the Democratic and Republican conventions take place, so the presentation of sensitive issues such as immigration was one of the critical points of the night.
Amid all the back-and-forth, Trump accused Biden of allowing millions of unauthorized immigrants into the country, arguing that the country's southern border is open.
Here are three fact checks of claims made during the debate related to immigration:
“He decided to open our border, open our country,” Trump said of Biden during the debate.
This is not an accurate statement, as while unauthorized crossings have reached a record number during the Biden administration, the border is not “open.” In fact, it could be said to be more reinforced than ever.
The federal government has added more sections to the walls on the southern border, while military operations have increased in various parts of the area, and the number of expedited expulsions has grown.
It is noteworthy that a large majority of Republican lawmakers have not allowed a $118 billion border agreement to be passed in the Senate. This bill would have given the U.S. executive the power to close the border with Mexico to asylum seekers when the daily average of illegal crossings exceeded 5,000.
Trump also claimed that immigrants are committing crimes, calling it “immigration crime.” It is true that there are cases of people who entered the country illegally and have committed serious crimes, however, data shows that the vast majority do not commit crimes, and there are even Northwestern University study which examines a 150-year period and found that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.
In this regard, the Republican argued that immigrants arrive in the United States illegally from "mental institutions" and "asylums."
In the debate held on CNN, Trump said that immigrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the streets.
He also stated that during his administration (January 20, 2017 - January 20, 2021), the country had the “most secure border in history.”
“We have to get a lot of these people out and we have to get them out fast because they are destroying our country,” Trump said during the 90-minute debate in Atlanta.
While he did not explain how he would carry out mass deportations, Trump has repeatedly said he would carry out a mass deportation campaign of undocumented immigrants using local law enforcement, the National Guard and potentially the U.S. military.
“And because of (Biden’s) ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and killing our citizens at a level we’ve never seen,” Trump said, without providing substantial evidence.
After moderator Jake Tapper pressed both candidates on their immigration plans by asking, “Why should voters trust you to solve this crisis?” Trump dodged the question, instead making sweeping assessments about immigration based on isolated crimes.
In response, he reiterated his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he wins a second term.
Tapper countered: “Does that mean they will deport all undocumented immigrants in the United States, including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens and those who have lived here for decades? And if so, how will they do it?”
Trump not only did not answer, but he diverted the conversation towards terrorism and crime, which, according to him, immigrants bring with them.
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