WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Donald Trump came to Arizona on Sunday and swung hard on the issue of immigration. He both criticized Democrat Kamala Harris for her record on the issue and promised to fix it.
In this swing state where polls show immigration beats out the economy as the top issue, Trump’s message will be welcomed by many.
The former president promised to hire 10,000 new border patrol officers, to ask Congress to authorize a 10% raise and a $10,000 retention and recruitment bonus. Not surprisingly, Trump was endorsed during his stop in Arizona by the National Border Patrol Council.
“I think the number one issue is the destruction of our country, what’s happened at the border. I really think that’s actually the number one issue,” Trump said during a 90-minute speech.
“What they’ve done to us on the border can never be forgiven.”
Trump noted widely reported crimes involving illegal immigrants, including Venezuelan gangs that have found their way into the country. He accused Harris, who was appointed by President Joe Biden to act as his border czar, of resettling people across the country to prey on the American people.
“If Kamala gets four more years, the entire country will be turned into a migrant camp, and that’s what’s happening,” he said.
The Harris campaign fired back that Trump doesn’t want to solve the border and immigration issue, claiming he just wants to campaign on it. They pointed to his opposition to a bipartisan border bill earlier this year that Harris claims would have greatly reduced illegal crossings.
Trump’s language on the border will likely sound harsh to many Canadian ears. Here in Arizona, many see the tough talk and his promised tough action as necessary.
Often portrayed as racist and against Latino Americans, Trump’s stand isn’t hurting him with Latino voters in this state.
A statewide poll conducted for the AARP found that Hispanic/Latino voters favoured Trump over Harris by a margin of 47% to 45%. Among white voters, Trump leads Harris 51% to 46%.
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A New York Times-Siena poll released on the weekend gave Harris the lead among Hispanic voters 60% to 40% but gave Trump the lead statewide, 51% to 46%.
More than 7.3 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States under the Biden-Harris administration. That figure is bigger than 36 states, a key reason immigration has resurfaced as a major issue in this campaign.
And while the rate of illegal entries over the past several months has fallen, it’s still higher than normal and higher than under Trump.
During his rally, Trump also took shots at Harris’ character, claiming that she wasn’t intelligent and definitely not smart enough to be president. On the economic front, he called her the “taxing queen,” warning voters at the rally that she would make their lives less affordable.
Sunday’s visit by Trump was the fourth visit to the state by the campaigns within the last week. Harris visited the Phoenix-Scottsdale area on Thursday and Friday, while both vice presidential candidates visited earlier in the week.
Arizona’s 11 electoral college votes are up for grabs. While Trump won the state in 2016, outgoing incumbent Biden won by just over 10,000 votes in 2020.
Trump made the case for his supporters to get out and vote early this campaign, a marked difference from 2020 when he discouraged early voting in favour of casting a ballot on election day. That decision was a key part in Trump losing in 2020, thus prompting his change of strategy.
Trump’s most likely path to victory requires him to win Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina and at least one of the Great Lakes swing states. Harris needs to hold the Great Lakes states in order to win, but can still take the White House without Arizona.