President Joe Biden said he attempted to address the rise of undocumented migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border by supporting legislation negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators to create more border patrol and asylum agents and would fully implement his plan if re-elected.
He also noted that in the weeks since he passed an executive order to curb illegal immigration, 40% fewer people are coming across the border. Some immigration experts say it’s difficult to declare a sole explanation for a decline in border crossings.
Donald Trump, when he was president, implemented an immigration policy that was “separating babies from their mothers,” Biden said.
Trump, in rebuttal, said Biden as president had opened the borders, reversing policies during his tenure that had made America more secure. “We had the safest border in history, now we have the worst border in history,” he said.
CNN Moderator Jake Tapper asked Trump if he would deport people who are in the country illegally, including those who are married to citizens, have jobs, or have been in the U.S. for decades.
“We have to get a lot of these people out. We have to get them out fast,” he said.
In an AJC poll released Tuesday, 12.9% of voters listed immigration as the issue with the biggest influence on their vote in November — only behind concerns about inflation, the economy and preserving democracy.
The issue of immigration came into focus for Georgians earlier this year after 22-year-old Laken Riley was killed while running near the University of Georgia campus. Police arrested a man from Venezuela, who authorities say was in the United States without authorization, in connection with the slaying.
Trump also falsely claimed that “all these people are coming in (and) they’re putting them on Medicare, they’re putting them on Social Security.” Only U.S. citizens are eligible to receive Medicare and Social Security.
This was originally published on our Live Updates page.
