Examining Asylum, Crime, and Deportations Before Trump-Harris Debate

The highly anticipated debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is set to take place in Philadelphia on Tuesday. This event marks their first televised face-off in the current election cycle.

While a broad array of topics is expected to be discussed, immigration and border security are anticipated to take center stage. In recent weeks, Trump has refocused his campaign strategy on the issue of immigration, blaming Harris for security challenges at the southern border. Last month, he visited the Arizona-Mexico border, while his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Arizona, campaigned in Mesa to emphasize immigration issues.

For Harris, this debate represents a critical opportunity to clarify her stance on immigration and to counter the Republican narrative. She has supported a bipartisan border agreement and accused Trump of criticizing it for political leverage rather than constructive dialogue.

Several key issues regarding immigration and border enforcement may arise during their debate:

Recent reports show a significant decline in the number of migrants crossing the southern border illegally. Following record high encounters at the start of 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that July saw only 104,116 migrant encounters—the lowest number since February 2021. This figure reflects a decrease of over 40% compared to the same month last year. Troy Miller, the interim chief of CBP, stated that enhanced border security measures have contributed to this drop.

In Arizona, a notable downward trend has also been observed, with encounters falling from a peak of over 91,000 in December to just over 17,000 in July. The Biden administration’s restrictions on asylum processing have expedited the deportation of migrants back to their home countries or Mexico, which may have further influenced these decreasing numbers.

Asylum access remains a contentious point. In June, President Biden issued an executive order that restricted asylum access along the U.S.-Mexico border. The order allows border officials to suspend the asylum process when migrant encounters exceed 2,500 within a week. However, this does not affect the processing of asylum claims at legal ports of entry, where CBP appointments are granted through a mobile application. Despite a decrease in overall encounters, many asylum seekers, primarily from Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, and Venezuela, continue to experience lengthy wait times of up to eight or nine months for appointments.

Moreover, Trump’s campaign has emphasized a narrative linking migrants to increased crime rates, fueling a contentious debate on public safety. However, studies show little evidence supporting this claim. According to analysts from the CATO Institute, undocumented immigrants are less likely to be convicted of crimes compared to native-born residents. They point to homicide data in Texas over nearly a decade that indicates lower conviction rates for immigrants compared to citizens.

As crime rates in the U.S. have generally declined since 2020, many border communities in states like Arizona are reported to be among the safest. Despite the narratives pushed by some politicians, the data suggests that migrants do not contribute significantly to crime in the U.S.

The immigration court system in the United States is also facing unprecedented challenges, with nearly 3.7 million pending deportation cases as of July. This backlog has increased sharply, with the number of cases rising from 2.7 million at the end of the last fiscal year. The backlog suggests prolonged delays in cases, leading to years-long waits for individual adjudications.

In response to this growing concern, the Executive Office for Immigration Review has implemented a “Recent Arrival” docket to expedite certain cases. However, despite these efforts, the backlog continues to expand due to the overwhelming number of new cases that arise annually.

Recent statistics point to a surge in deportations under the Biden administration, with more than 142,000 immigrants deported in the last fiscal year alone—many of whom lacked criminal records. This trend raises questions about the nature of immigration enforcement and the focus of the current administration’s policies.

Former President Trump has centered his reelection campaign around hardline immigration policies, including a commitment to mass deportations. He has hinted at using military resources to enforce border security if necessary, although such measures would likely face legal scrutiny.

As the debate draws near and immigration remains a forefront issue, the contrasting views and proposed policies of Harris and Trump will be starkly illuminated, making it a critical moment for both candidates in this election cycle.

Source: USA Today