Michigan elections FAQ: Where Trump, Harris stand on immigration, border security
- Migrant encounters at the border rose 40% from 2021 to 2023, concerning many Americans. Crossings have subsided since new asylum rules
- Kamala Harris wants to reintroduce legislation increasing border restrictions and fix the nation’s ‘broken’ immigration system
- Donald Trump has promised ‘mass deportation’ of undocumented immigrants and to end what he calls a ‘migrant crime’ epidemic
The issue: The number of migrants seeking entry at the southern border to Mexico has increased in recent years and is now generally recognized as a full-fledged crisis. Many are fleeing war and poverty. In December 2023, border agents recorded a record 267,000 encounters with migrants at the Southwest border, up 40% from 2021.
Migrant encounters decreased significantly this year after the Biden-Harris administration implemented new asylum restrictions, but polls show most Americans still have concerns over border security and migrant crime. Nationwide, about 11 million people were present in the United States without legal authorization in 2022 — up slightly from when Donald Trump was president, according to the Pew Research Center.
How it is important to Michigan: Michigan is a border state itself and one of the most important U.S. crossings. Illegal entries at the northern border are also increasing. Agents recorded 12,296 encounters in the Detroit region in 2023, up from 7,000 the previous year.
In Michigan, about 91,000 people were in the state without authorization as of 2019 — about 1.2% of the state’s population, according to the nonpartisan research firm Migration Policy Institute. In 2022, 687,000 immigrants made up 8.4% of Michigan’s employed labor force and contributed to 9.9% of the state’s economic output, an American Immigration Council report shows.
Related:
- Trump points to migrants with criminal pasts. Here’s what data shows
- Michigan population inches up as deaths fall and immigration climbs
- Michigan dairy farm housing: Invisible workers suffer, state looks other
The number of immigrants legally allowed to enter Michigan, including those granted green cards and refugee or asylum status, had not risen dramatically under Biden as of 2022, according to the most recent federal data available.
While experts say immigrants have traditionally been less likely to commit crimes than citizens, the political debate over the southern border intensified in Michigan following this year’s slaying of Grand Rapids resident Ruby Garcia.
Brandon Ortiz-Vite, Garcia’s boyfriend, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month. He was in the U.S. illegally after previously being deported. It was Kent County’s second homicide in 10 months involving an immigrant.
Harris and Democrats stance: Kamala Harris has shifted her campaign’s focus toward securing the border while improving the nation’s “broken” immigration system, touting her experience prosecuting drug smugglers as California’s Attorney General.
Harris says she still supports – and would sign – a bipartisan border deal that stalled in Congress amid opposition from Trump. Among other things, the legislation would have added more than 1,500 new border agents, 4,300 asylum officers, drug detection machines and more.
The vice president in 2021 was tasked by President Joe Biden to address the root causes of the surge in border crossings. Trump has blamed her for the problem as the “border czar.” Harris’ campaign has stated she shares the Biden administration’s stance on undocumented immigration: “Unauthorized border crossings are illegal.”
The Biden-Harris administration has advocated for “a fair and orderly immigration system” that addresses longstanding border issues while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for immigrants. Illegal border crossings averaged about 2 million per year from 2021 to 2023, the highest level in history. As of September though, illegal crossings were reportedly at their lowest levels since 2020.
Harris has claimed the decline is the result of Biden’s executive order to block asylum access to migrants once a daily threshold is exceeded, which she’s said she’d toughen if elected. Biden and Harris have said they would have preferred to address border security through the bipartisan legislation that collapsed in Congress after Trump and other conservatives criticized the deal.
Harris has repeatedly claimed the former president intentionally sabotaged the bill for political purposes, saying in a September border speech that Trump “prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
“The United States has been enriched by generations of people who have come from every corner of the world to contribute to our country and to become part of the American story,” Harris said during the rally. “And so we must reform our immigration system to ensure that it works in an orderly way, and that it is humane and that it makes our country stronger.”
Trump and Republicans stance: Trump has called for mass deportations and framed illegal immigration as a security and economic issue — and an existential threat to the country.
Trump has said he would end “catch-and-release” of migrants awaiting hearings in immigration court, restore his “remain in Mexico” policy requiring prospective immigrants to wait across the border while their cases are decided and deputize the National Guard and local law enforcement to assist with deportations.
Republicans have argued for stricter enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border and a ban on so-called “sanctuary cities” that don’t fully comply with U.S. immigration enforcement.
Economists have shared concerns that Trump’s plan to deport over 11 million people would have a detrimental effect on markets, but the former president argues it will free up jobs for Americans and reduce crime rates across the country.
Trump has not specified how he would carry out the mass deportations, but running mate JD Vance has said they’d begin by deporting "the most violent criminals."
Trump has said he would also try to revoke "temporary protected status" for Haitian migrants legally residing in Springfield, Ohio.
In Michigan speeches, Trump has claimed Harris is responsible for crimes committed by immigrants who entered the country illegally under Biden, including Ortiz-Vite, arguing the vice president has “blood on her hands.”
“On day one of my administration, the invasion of illegal migrants, terrorists, drug dealers and murderers ends, and on that same day, the largest deportation in our history begins,” Trump said in Saginaw. “We have no choice.”
Read more:
- Bridge: Trump points to migrants with criminal pasts. Here’s what data shows
- Bridge: Michigan population inches up as deaths fall and immigration climbs
- Bridge: Michigan dairy farm housing: Invisible workers suffer, state looks other way
- AP: Where Trump and Harris stand on immigration and border security
- Reuters: Harris promises tougher immigration, fentanyl controls at border
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