Trump In Arizona: Immigration Takes Center Stage

It's hard to name an issue that has fueled the Donald Trump administration much like immigration. Since his candidacy announcement in 2015, one phrase has reigned supreme: "Build the Wall".

As Trump made a visit to Cochise County in late August, the border was at the top of his list, and his supporters here are eager to see his plan for a tighter border.

Trump's Border Security

It's no surprise that cracking down on illegal immigration was the biggest success of the Trump presidency. The highest year for illegal migrant crossings under his reign was 2019, which saw 1.4 million undocumented immigrants cross the southern border.

Compare this to the highest year of the Biden administration, which saw 3.2 million crossings, and it's clear that Trump was much more efficient at locking down our borders. Supporters believe that a second term would allow the Trump administration to "finish the job": Build the fabled wall, and make immigration into the United States a much longer and secure process.

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What's Trump's Plan?

It's obvious that Trump doesn't plan to give up on his quest for a more secure America. In an interview with TIME Magazine earlier this year, he went into detail about his plan to stop the immigration problem that so many have been vocal about ending.

Trumps largest pledge seems to be the deportation of Mexican nationals, which he plans to use military force for, if necessary. His first step would be cooperating with local law enforcement, like the CCSO, to focus on and find immigrants with a criminal record.

He did deny the rumors of "migrant camps" where deportees would be held. His reasoning is very simple. "there wouldn't be that much of a need for them, because of the fact that we're going to be moving them out. We're going to bring them back from where they came" the former president said.

Despite all this talk, and visits to the border, he's been somewhat quiet on his continuation of the border wall. While it's to be expected, as everyone knows his plan already, many supporters are upset to hear no long term solution being offered. Many of the supporters I talked with believe that the wall will help legal immigration become much more prevalent, while also keeping out the ne'er-do-wells.

[TIME Magazine]

[Newsweek]

[CNN]