Immigration Policy Takes Center Stage in Atlanta Debate Between Biden and Trump

Debate on Immigration Reform

Immigration Policy Takes Center Stage in Atlanta Debate Between Biden and Trump

During the first presidential debate of the 2024 electoral cycle, which took place in Atlanta, hot-button issue of Immigration policies culminated in a contested verbal bout between incumbent President, Joe Biden, and the GOP nominee, ex-President Donald J. Trump. For the majority of people casting their votes and for Trump himself, immigration is seen as a critical issue of the election, with Biden’s administration trying to deal with an unprecedented number of migrant encounters at the southern border – the most extensive in two decades.

Biden’s Stance

In a 90-minute exchange held by CNN, President Biden ardently defended his administration’s actions regarding immigration. He directed the blame squarely at Trump for torpedoing a bipartisan legislation on border security put forth by the U.S. Senate. Biden further emphasized the significance of this accord as a reason voters should reel him back into power, asserting that the White House was proactive in forging the deal.

“We worked very hard to get a bipartisan agreement,” Biden expressed.

Trump’s Stance

Trump countered during the debate that Biden didn’t actually need legislation to execute policy alterations at the southern border. He cited his own tenure as an example, “I didn’t have legislation, I said close the border.”

In the early days of June, Biden took his most significant step back on immigration since assuming office, introducing an executive order that set about a partial ban on asylum procedures at the southern border. Trump dismissed this action as trivial.

Aftermath of the Bipartisan Agreement

Siding with their House colleagues and Trump, Senate Republicans earlier rejected the bipartisan border security deal that would have drastically redrafted U.S. immigration law. The proposed agreement contained measures for a temporary process to close the border in high-activity periods and higher standards for asylum claims.

Effect on Migrant Encounters

In the wake of Biden’s executive order, Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, released data from a briefing in Tucson, Arizona. He reported a notable decrease in migrant encounters; “Across the entire southern border, Border Patrol encounters have dropped by over 40 percent,” Mayorkas said.

Remain-in-Mexico Policy and Migrant Crime

Trump used the debate platform to highlight his past policies that he affirmed had been successful, criticizing Biden for reversing them, such as the stay-in-Mexico rule affecting awaiting asylum seekers. Biden, however, tore into Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy that saw the separation of parents and their children at the border.

Without substantiating evidence, Trump blamed immigrants for the surge in crime, tagging it as “migrant crime.” Nonetheless, recent data from the FBI note a 15% decrease in violent crime across the country, and various studies show that immigrants are less likely to engage in criminal behavior than U.S. citizens.

The Laken Riley Act

Trump rehashed the tragic death of Georgia-based nursing student, Laken Riley, attributing it to Biden’s immigration rules. Reacting to this, the GOP-dominated U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act. Trump was quizzed by the debate hosts on implementing mass deportations but didn’t divulge details. He has recurrently stated that he would introduce a deportation campaign of illegal immigrants involving local law enforcement and potentially, the U.S. military.