Immigration is a prominent issue in the 2024 election, with voters in early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire ranking it nearly as important as the economy.
The surge in migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border has intensified the debate, affecting both Republicans and Democrats.
President Biden, initially campaigning as a foil to Trump on immigration, is now considering negotiations with Republicans on a compromise immigration bill.
“I think overall the most important thing to me is securing the borders, national security,” Bedford resident Bill Collins said.
“In his entire administration, it has eclipsed everything else,” Muzaffar Chishti of the Migration Policy Institute said.
“This is where it’s different from any other chapter in our history,” Chishti said.
“When you have an organic absorption of migrants in society, it doesn’t get noticed. But when you have sudden, dramatic groups of people showing up then it becomes a different kind of problem,” Chishti added.
However, this shift risks alienating progressive members of the Democratic Party.
Biden’s shift “appeals to moderates and independents in the electorate but does risk alienating more progressive members of the party,” political science professor Louis DeSipio said.
“Biden’s on a tightrope with this issue,” DeSipio said. “It’s the first time in quite a while that Democrats have had this level of internal division over immigration.”
“They have to choose whether they want to solve a problem or keep weaponizing the issue to score political points against the president,” Biden said.
“Time and time again, what I keep seeing in our polling and in our research is that Americans are just not hearing from Democrats,” Immigration Hub deputy director Beatriz Lopez said.
“You’re not going to win by out-Republican the Republicans,” Lopez said. “You’re going to win by leaning into good pragmatic solutions, reminding people of our shared values and countering the anti-immigrant rhetoric. That’s the formula.”
Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and proposals are resonating among some Republicans, with the issue likely to play a significant role in the upcoming election.
“It has resonated with Republicans since 2016, and now increasingly with some independents and some Democrats,” DeSipio said.
“We have millions and millions of people flowing into our country illegally,” Trump said. “We have no idea who the hell they are. They come from prisons and they come from mental institutions. And it’s just killing our country.”
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