‘Venezuela on Steroids’ and Other Immigration Claims in Harris v Trump

It took former president Donald Trump six minutes into Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris before he mentioned immigration.
Trump said Harris’ immigration policies will lead the United States to becoming “Venezuela on steroids” after claiming towns were being “overrun” following a surge in gang activity.
According to a poll by The New York Times/Sienna College, respondents trust Trump over Harris on matters concerning immigration policy by 53% to 43%.
Claims made by Trump on border security included Harris planning to pay for gender-affirming care for immigrants in prisons and that 21 million people had crossed the southwest border since 2021.
The former president also claimed migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, despite local officials denying to Newsweek any evidence of such incidents.
Trump was reprimanded by moderators over several allegations he made during the fiery debate against his Democratic opponent.
Trump repeated claims that Ohio migrants are “eating cats and dogs,” an allegation that has already been debunked.
A spokesperson for Springfield told Newsweek there are “no credible reports” that pets or other animals had been harmed or abused by immigrants.
“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the statement read.
The city even created a webpage to debunk the allegations made by scores of GOP lawmakers.
Claims that migrants from Haiti are stealing and consuming animals have gained significant attention after circulating widely online, fueled in recent days by social media posts from prominent political figures.
Texas senator Ted Cruz posted a meme on his social media page of a chat pleading for voters to choose Trump “so Haitian immigrants stop eating us.”
Migrants have been drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and employment opportunities.
The city estimates 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in the county, putting pressure on public services; however, the city noted that migrants are legally in the country.
According to reports, the Springfield Police Department has not received any reports of pets being stolen and eaten.
Harris claimed that Trump “killed” the bipartisan border security bill, which would have added 1,500 more CBP officers and 4,300 asylum officers to deal with the immigration backlog.
The legislation would have allocated funding for building a new border wall, expanded detention centers, ended the practice of “catch and release,” effectively shut down the border during surges in illegal crossings, and made asylum claims more difficult to qualify for.
John Koch, senior lecturer and director of debate at Vanderbilt University, told Newsweek Harris is “weak” on immigration.
“Harris tried to focus the issue on the bipartisan border bill that Trump did not support. She argued that this bill would have solved a lot of the problems brought up on immigration by Trump. She made a clear point, but ultimately, I think neither candidate’s answers on this issue moved any voters.”
“Trump made immigration the biggest issue in the debate, often brining the subject of the debate back to it. If you are a voter who thinks this is a major issue and the Biden-Harris administration has failed, you likely leave this debate as a Trump voter,” Koch said.
The bill was publicly backed by the Border Patrol union, which endorsed Trump. However, after the draft legislation was unveiled in February, Trump urged his party to oppose the bill, even as many Republicans have spent years lobbying for some of the security measures included in the deal.
“A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me.” Trump said at a rally in Las Vegas in February.
I’m going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies because it’s a really interesting thing to watch,” Harris said on Tuesday’s debate.
“You will see during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about how windmills cause cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. And I will tell you, the one thing you will not hear him talk about is you.”
Harris appeared to bait Trump into arguing about rally attendance rather than focusing on immigration policy. Trump began attacking Harris over accusations her campaign was paying people to attend her rallies after she goaded him into talking about campaign crowd sizes.
Trump claimed immigrants are “taking over the towns… They’re going in violently.”
“They’ve destroyed the fabric of our country. Millions of people let in, and all over the world, crime is down all over the world, except here. Crime here is up and through the roof, despite their fraudulent statements that they made; crime in this country’s through the roof, and we have a new form of crime. It’s called migrant crime. I like that. It’s happening at levels nobody thought possible,” Trump said.
While some cities have seen an influx of migrants entering the country, the majority have arrived legally, and towns are not “overrun” as Trump suggested.
According to the Cato Institute, immigrants are less likely to commit crimes compared to U.S. citizens.
“When you look at what she’s done to our country, and when you look at these millions (and) millions of people that are pouring into our country monthly, where it’s, I believe 21 million people, not the 15 that people that say. And I think it’s a lot higher than the 21,” Trump said.
Between February 2021 through July 2024, roughly 10 million migrants entered the
Trump claimed that “21 million people” are crossing the border monthly into the United States under the Biden-Harris administration.
Millions of migrants have not entered the U.S. in one month.
The most recorded in a single month since Biden assumed office was 300,000 migrants in December 2023.
Border Patrol has made 7.1 million arrests since the Biden-Harris administration took over from Trump in 2021.
“A lot of these illegal immigrants are coming in; they’re trying to get them to vote. They can’t even speak English. They don’t even know what country they’re in practically, and these people are trying to get them to vote, and that’s why they’re allowing them to come into our country,” Trump claimed.
There is no evidence to suggest that unlawful migrants are voting in masses during elections.
Republican lawmakers have repeatedly stated this claim without providing evidence.
“Americans do not want chaos and divisiveness on an issue that calls for solutions,” said Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “Voters strongly prefer candidates who talk about border and immigration solutions over those who use dehumanizing language against immigrants.
“In that light, leaders must come to this conversation ready to find solutions that honor our values and elevate both security and compassion,” Murray said.
Trump repeated claims that migrants are taking jobs from Americans.
“We have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums, and they’re coming in and they’re taking jobs that are occupied right now by African Americans and Hispanics, also unions,” Trump said. “Unions are going to be affected very soon.”
In the past year, approximately 1.24 million foreign workers have gained employment, while 1.32 million fewer native-born Americans are currently employed in the U.S. during the same time frame, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment among foreign-born workers has increased 4.4 million since pre-pandemic (and is back on trend), while jobs among native-born Americans have fallen 833k over that same time—lliterally no progress in 5 years,” economist E.J. Antoni has found.
“Remember that she was a border czar,” Trump said. “She doesn’t want to be called the border czar because she’s embarrassed by the border.”
Harris was never officially given the title of Borzer czar, despite claims made by Republicans.
Biden had given Harris the task of coordinating diplomatic relationships in the hopes of improving conditions in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras that would, in theory, encourage would-be migrants to stay put. At the time, Biden said he was giving her a “tough job” but that she was “the most qualified person to do it.”
Harris did secure $4.2 billion in private-sector investments for employment opportunities in Central America. It was intended to stifle the flow of migrants out of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
“Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison,” Trump said.
This is a reference to a 2019 questionnaire from a leading civil rights organization during her failed bid for the presidency in 2020, in which Harris’ supported progressive ideas such as cutting ICE funding and taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detainees.
In an interview with CNN last month, the incumbent vice president said some of her political positions have evolved over time, but her “values have not changed.After a debate where immigration was a recurring topic, one thing is clear: Americans favor political candidates who prioritize solutions to border and immigration issues rather than relying on negative rhetoric about immigrants, reflecting the values of American voters on this matter.
In an August poll of 1,000 registered voters, 67% said they would support a candidate focused on solutions, while only 18% backed a candidate “who uses dehumanizing language against immigrants.”
Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said:”Donald Trump was totally incoherent. He was angry and rattled, and it all began when Vice President Harris held him accountable.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump. That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
James Massa, CEO of NumbersUSA told Newsweek: “Harris appeared to pretend that the border crisis Americans have witnessed the last four years never happened,” said James Massa, CEO of NumbersUSA. “Overall, Trump did his best to bring illegal immigration and its impact of crime on Americans and burden on American cities back into the debate. There is simply a stark contrast between the two candidates — and voters interested in immigration can see clear differences.”
Vice President Kamala Harris is riding a wave of voter enthusiasm after she trounced Trump during the first meeting between the two.
Harris reportedly wants to challenge Trump to another debate; it remains to be seen if he will back down over fears it will damage his polling or if he will accept the challenge.
Regardless of what happens in November’s elections, one thing is certain: Republicans and Democrats will have to work together to focus on solutions instead of rhetoric.