Former President Donald Trump made inflammatory comments regarding migrants during a speech in Michigan, where he claimed that suburban housewives support him because he will keep them safe from migrants “crawling through their windows.” Trump focused much of his speech on President Joe Biden and the southern border, accusing Biden of allowing a “bloodbath” that is “destroying the country.” Immigration is a top issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with polls showing doubt over Biden’s border policies and Trump pledging to launch the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history.
Biden has faced bipartisan criticism over his handling of the border, as the country experiences increased levels of migrant border crossings. In the 2023 fiscal year, there were more than 2.4 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, up from roughly 1.7 million in 2021. Republicans attribute the uptick in migrants to Biden’s border policies, which they claim incentivize illegal immigration. However, experts also point to factors like political and financial instability in Central American countries as drivers of migration to the U.S.
During his Michigan speech, Trump highlighted crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants and claimed that suburban housewives support him because he will keep them safe from such incidents. Despite overall violent crime dropping in the U.S. last year and Michigan hitting a three-year low in 2022, Trump’s speech focused on a recent killing in Michigan involving an individual who had been deported following a previous arrest. Trump has a history of using inflammatory rhetoric when discussing migrants, as seen in his comments at a rally in Georgia earlier in March.
The Biden campaign has responded to Trump’s rhetoric, criticizing him for trying to politicize tragedies and sow hate and division, particularly in relation to the border issue. Trump’s continued focus on the border and his use of fear-mongering language has been a point of contention between the two campaigns, with the Biden campaign emphasizing the need for a more compassionate and effective approach to immigration policies. As tensions over the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border continue to escalate, the issue is expected to remain at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election.
