Immigration is a key issue of American elections, with Republicans and Democrats contending with the various facets of immigration throughout political history. With the 2024 election coming up, the issue of immigration has come up repeatedly, especially in regards to undocumented immigrants. According to a Pew Research Study, among those who support a Trump presidency, 82% see immigration as a leading issue. Around 39% of Harris supporters say that immigration is very important to their vote. The study shows that voters are more confident that Trump will lead the country in changing the U.S. immigration system.
Immigration as an electoral issue has been swayed by the increasing negative rhetoric around undocumented immigrants. The ideas that undocumented immigrants are increasing violent crime in the US and that immigrants are taking jobs that would otherwise be for American citizens are primary concerns. These are also two ideas that are easily embellished by misinformation.
Politicians such as Trump and Congress representatives have repeated false claims about/surrounding undocumented immigrants, enforcing the idea that immigrants are increasing crime in America. Trump said at one of his rallies, “No, no, they make our criminals look like babies. These are stone-cold killers. They’ll walk into your kitchen, they’ll cut your throat. These people are animals. Now they’ll say, ‘Oh that’s a terrible thing for him to say.’ No, no, these people are animals.” A variety of politicians refer to undocumented immigrations as “illegal aliens,” which contributes to a dehumanizing rhetoric.
Inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants causing crimes and taking away jobs from Americans is grounded in false claims and can be considered misinformation. Misinformation is harmful in that it exposes the average person to causes the average person to be exposed to claims that are incorrect and unsubstantiated, yet because of the inflammatory nature of the claim, the rhetoric spreads. This can cause even more harm as those who start believing false claims can take action – such as the UK race riots earlier this year. The riots were caused by a misinformation campaign that targeted Muslims.
At the September 10 debate, Trump repeated a claim that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Ohio. This claim was further spread through various politicians across the internet. This rhetoric is not just tied to Trump or the Republican Party – the Democrat Party has been shifting right on immigration, with Harris promising a tougher southern border, with increased funding for surveillance technology. Under the Trump presidency, Democrats loudly spoke out against the conditions at the migrant detention centers/facilities on the southern border, saying that kids were being kept in cages, as representatives visited the border to document the conditions there. However, these conditions have persisted under the Biden administration. According to the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), 23 people have died in ICE custody since the start of the Biden administration. Since 2023, there has been a 50% increase in ICE’s use of solitary confinement for immigrants. Around 60% of those in ICE custody are subject to mandatory detention, which means that these individuals don’t have a right to a bond hearing to make a case for release. This is a clear violation and lack of due process. More and more people every day, an average of 37,000 people a day, are detained, which is a 140% increase from the start of the Biden administration.
Immigration to the US is often caused by systemic issues plaguing people around the world (oftentimes because of US interference in other countries’ affairs). Immigrants at the southern border are usually trying to make a better life for themselves, rather than being a part of a grand scheme to undermine American citizens, as online rhetoric would have one believe. Migration-related offenses are the most prosecuted federal crimes in the US. The National Immigrant Justice Center says, “Migration-related prosecutions are also used to make felons out of long-time U.S. community members for merely violating immigration laws. NIJC client James came to the United States as a child with his parents and lived here for 20 years. After a traffic stop, he was turned over to ICE, who coerced him into signing a voluntary return to Mexico, where he became a victim of cartel violence. When James tried to return to safety and the life he had known in the U.S., he was charged with unlawful entry under 8 U.S.C. § 1325.”
It is clear that immigration reform is necessary, and that there must be nationwide efforts to combat the misinformation campaigns against immigrants.
