The first debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Tuesday night set the stage for a heated exchange on immigration. Trump doubled down on his hardline stance, accusing Harris and the Biden administration of failing to control the U.S. southern border. Harris, in turn, defended the administration’s efforts while calling out Trump for his divisive rhetoric and obstruction of bipartisan immigration reform. Below, we break down what each candidate said about immigration.
Trump’s Claims of Immigrant Takeovers
Trump opened his critique by painting a bleak picture of immigration’s impact on American towns. He referenced communities like Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado, alleging that immigrants, especially those from Haiti and Venezuela, were causing violence and disorder.
“You look at Springfield, Ohio, you look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over our towns. They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently,” Trump said. He also repeated a baseless claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were abducting and eating pets, saying, “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
Local authorities in Springfield have debunked this claim, with no evidence supporting the accusations. Nevertheless, Trump used these examples to argue that the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies have allowed dangerous criminals to enter the country.
Harris Defends Border Security Efforts
In response, Harris called Trump’s comments extreme and misleading, pointing to recent policy efforts by the Biden administration to reduce border crossings. She noted that immigration numbers had dropped significantly after President Biden implemented stricter measures in July 2024.
“They have, and she has, destroyed our country with policy that’s insane,” Trump charged. Harris countered by highlighting her support for a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year, which she argued would have bolstered national security but was blocked by Trump’s intervention.
“The United States Congress came up with a border security bill, which I supported,” Harris said. “You know what happened to that bill? Donald Trump called up some folks in Congress and said, ‘Kill the bill.’”
Trump’s Focus on Crime and Deportation
Throughout the debate, Trump emphasized what he sees as a surge in criminal activity tied to immigration. He pledged to reinstate strict border policies and launch the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, should he be re-elected.
“These are the people that she and Biden let into our country, and they’re destroying our country,” Trump claimed, returning to his long-standing narrative of immigrants as criminals.
His proposed approach includes reattempting to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and continuing to build barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Harris Pushes for Bipartisan Solutions
Harris, while defending the administration’s immigration policies, advocated for a collaborative approach to fix what she called a broken immigration system. She expressed frustration with Trump’s obstruction of the Border Act of 2024, a bill that aimed to balance stricter border enforcement with legal pathways for immigrants.
“He’d prefer to run on a problem rather than fixing a problem,” Harris said, accusing Trump of using immigration as a political weapon rather than seeking real solutions.