Former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, are intensifying their anti-immigration stance in their campaign efforts. Trump, addressing supporters in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, claimed that immigrants are “taking your jobs.” Meanwhile, Vance spoke to a crowd in Leesport, Pennsylvania, about 500 miles north, alleging that immigrants are taking homes from American families.
In their tight race, Trump and Vance are focusing on the same nativist themes that propelled Trump’s 2016 campaign. They are using fear tactics, misinformation, and racial stereotypes to drive their message. This includes spreading a baseless claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and consuming pets, a story that city officials quickly debunked.
Trump described the influx of immigrants as an “invasion” at his North Carolina rally, asserting, “We are going to totally stop this invasion. This invasion is destroying the fabric of our country.” He falsely claimed that all job growth in the U.S. over the past two and a half years has gone to “illegal aliens.”
At his Pennsylvania rally, Vance suggested that rising home prices were due to immigrants competing for housing that should be reserved for American citizens. He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration, saying, “Our message to Kamala Harris is: Stop giving American homes to foreigners who shouldn’t be in this country. Start giving them to American citizens who deserve to be here.”
Both Trump and Vance are increasingly questioning the status of Haitian migrants in the U.S., even those here legally. Vance, in particular, has been promoting dubious claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, asserting that they were involved in eating pets—a claim city officials have denied.
Trump has vowed to initiate a large-scale deportation effort if re-elected, targeting cities like Springfield despite local officials confirming that most Haitian migrants there are legally present under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a fellow Republican, has defended these migrants, arguing that the attacks against them undermine a legitimate argument about border control.
DeWine stated in a recent op-ed, “Their verbal attacks against these Haitians—who are legally present in the United States—dilute and cloud what should be a winning argument about the border.”
Vance, however, disagrees with the current application of TPS and believes that the parole process should be applied individually. He plans to continue discussing what he views as illegal immigration. “So I’m going to keep on talking about illegal immigration,” Vance said.
As concerns about immigration persist among voters, Trump has made the issue a central theme of his campaign, often framing it in dire, apocalyptic terms. In a recent rally on Long Island, Trump claimed that his 2016 focus on border issues was a key to his victory and declared that “now the border is 25 times worse.” While illegal border crossings reached a record 250,000 in December, they dropped to 56,000 in July following President Biden’s efforts to limit asylum claims.
The 2024 election continues to see immigration as a hot-button issue, with both Trump and Vance amplifying their rhetoric to mobilize their base.
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