Vance says he would deport ‘violent criminals’ first in Michigan speech

• JD Vance appeared in Shelby Township Wednesday morning, where he spoke about crime, immigration and inflation 
• The Republican vice presidential nominee told the crowd that mass deportation would begin with violent criminals 
• Vance’s appearance marks his second visit to Michigan since becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee

SHELBY TOWNSHIP— Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Wednesday blasted illegal immigration under President Joe Biden and vowed that mass deportations under Donald Trump would begin with "the most violent criminals."

During his speech outside of the Shelby Township Police Department, Vance blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for recent crimes linked to immigrants who had entered the country illegally and for border crossings that surged under Biden.

“I can't believe that anyone would actually think that you should open up the American southern border to all of these criminals, you should let them commit crimes in our communities and then you should refuse to deport them afterwards and that’s exactly what Kamala Harris has done,” Vance said. 

Without evidence, Vance also said that Harris’ rhetoric contributed to the deaths of three Michigan police officers killed this summer in the line of duty.

They "lost their lives in the line of duty because Kamala Harris has sent out this message that it's open season on American police officers," said Vance, an Ohio senator.

Oakland County Deputy Sheriff Bradley J. Reckling died June 22 in Detroit while on surveillance for a stolen vehicle. An 18-year-old from Clinton Township, Karim Blake Moore, has been charged with murder. Days later, on June 27, Hillsdale deputy sheriff William Butler was shot during a traffic stop in Jefferson Township. The suspected gunman, Eric Michael Fiddler, fled and was later killed after firing on state troopers. In the latest incident, Melvindale officer Mohamed Said was gunned down July 21 during a traffic stop at a car wash. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, suspect Michael Lopez fired at Said while fleeing the scene. He’s been charged with murder.

Violent crime in the United States has actually decreased in recent months, according to the FBI’s Quarterly Uniform Crime Report. The data shows that from January to March, murders have decreased 26.4%, robberies by 17.8%, rapes by 25.7% and aggravated assaults by 12.5%. 

Related:

• Detroit lawyer: My friend, JD Vance, ditched beliefs for ‘money and power’
• Kamala Harris pivots to wooing Michigan Arab Americans who distrusted Biden
• Turnout dips throughout Michigan amid heavy rains, early voting, apathy

Vance attacked the newly named Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for his response to the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. 

“When the police are not empowered to do their job, it is the most vulnerable people in our communities who suffer,” he said. “We saw that force in 2020 with the summer riots … as he was promoting rioters and looters burning down the City of Minneapolis, Kamala Harris was helping to bail the rioters and looters out of jail.” 

In 2020 Harris did support a bail fund used to get Minneapolis rioters out of jail, but according to published reports, only a small portion of the money raised was used for that purpose. 

Critics argued that the looting, arson and violence that overwhelmed local authorities, lasted longer because of Walz’s delayed response in calling in the National Guard. The protests began May 26, 2020, once the video surfaced of officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck but Walz didn’t call on the National Guard until May 30. 

Vance: Deport ‘most dangerous’ first

When asked how a second Trump administration would fulfill its pledge to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, Vance said deportation under Trump would start with "the most dangerous" individuals.

"The message from the Trump administration is simple, pack your bags, because in four months, you're going home. We do not consent to an invasion of this country for millions of people who shouldn't be here, and we are going to deport people," he said.

The federal government must "make it harder for businesses to hire illegal aliens," Vance added, "and you work your way down from there. And I think that's how you solve the problem of people who are here. But if you're not willing to tell at least some of the people who are in this country illegally that you have to go back, then you don't have a real border policy."

In Michigan, there are about 91,000 unauthorized resident. That  accounts for 1.2% of the state's overall population, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research firm. 

During his 40-minute appearance, Vance also blamed Harris for the rising costs of housing and groceries. He said that his number-one priority is to make groceries, gas and rent more affordable. 

“You’ve got to bring down prices to give people basic prosperity, and the way you do that is really unleashing American energy, unleashing American farmers and not spending like a drunken sailor which is what Kamala Harris has done during her time in office,“ he said. 

Michigan drawing numerous visits

Vance appeared in Macomb County, where Trump won by over 39,000 votes in 2020. Ultimately, Biden flipped the state in 2020 winning by 154,188 votes. 

Wednesday’s rally is Vance’s second visit to Michigan since becoming the GOP vice presidential nominee. He joined Trump at a rally in Grand Rapids in July. The visits underscore Michigan’s importance as a key battleground state in this year’s presidential election. 

The speech was held outdoors, despite the Secret Service urging former President Donald Trump against those types of events after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last month. 

His visit came just hours before Harris is expected to campaign in Detroit. Harris has visited Michigan seven times as vice president. This would be her first appearance with Walz since she announced her running mate on Tuesday.

Ahead of Vance’s appearance, Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said his visit “will highlight the stark contrast not only between these campaigns, but between the vice presidential nominees — while Harris’ running mate delivered school lunch to millions of kids  … Trump’s running mate has done nothing except making weird comments about people without children while constantly voting against reproductive care like birth control or IVF.”