By WILL WEISSERT and JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The video shared by former President Donald Trump features scary music and videos of migrants supposedly entering the U.S. from countries like Cameroon, Afghanistan, and China. The video shows men with tattoos and footage of violent crime alongside close-up shots of people holding American flags.
“They’re coming by the thousands,” Trump says in the video, posted on his social media site. “We will secure our borders. And we will restore sovereignty.”
In his speeches and online posts, Trump has increased his anti-immigrant language as he runs for the White House for a third time, portraying migrants as dangerous criminals “poisoning the blood” of America. This taps into the country’s deep divisions on race and national identity, even though some of the information he shares is not true. often relies on falsehoods about migration. But it resonates with many of his core supporters going back a decade, to when “build the wall” chants began to ring out at his rallies.
President Joe Biden and his allies have a different discussion about the border. They see the situation as a policy problem that Congress can address, and they criticize Republicans in Washington for backing away from a border security deal after facing criticism from Trump.
However, Trump’s message seems to be striking a chord with important parts of the Democratic coalition that Biden will need to win over this November, which could be concerning for Biden.
About two-thirds of Americans now disapprove of how Biden is handling border security, including approximately 40% of Democrats, 55% of Black adults, and 73% of Hispanic adults, according to a poll conducted in March by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. poll conducted in March.
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 45% of Americans described the situation as a crisis, while another 32% said it was a major problem.
Vetress Boyce, a racial justice activist based in Chicago, expressed frustration with Biden’s immigration policies and the city’s approach in housing newly arriving migrants. She argued that Democrats should prioritize investing in Black communities, not newcomers.
“They’re sending us people who are starving, the same way Black people are starving in this country. They’re sending us people who want to escape the conditions and come here for a better lifestyle when the ones here are suffering and have been suffering for over 100 years,” Boyce said. “That combination is a recipe for disaster. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
Gracie Martinez, a 52-year-old Hispanic small business owner from Eagle Pass, Texas, the border town that Trump visited in February along with Biden, said she once voted for former President Barack Obama and still identifies as a Democrat, but now supports Trump — mainly because of the border. trips to the state. Martinez said she once voted for former President Barack Obama and is still a Democrat, but now backs Trump — mainly because of the border.
She said it's really bad. There are a lot of people getting medical help, money, and phones. She is upset because those who went through the legal immigration system are treated worse.
Priscilla Hesles, a 55-year-old teacher living in Eagle Pass, Texas, said the current situation is like almost being taken over and has changed the town.
Hesles, who used to take evening walks to a local church, said they don't know where the migrants are hiding or where they are going to come out of. She stopped her walks after a scary encounter with a group of men she claims were migrants.
Immigration will likely be a major issue in the November election, with both sides spending the next six months trying to show the other as wrong on border security.
The president’s reelection campaign recently started a $30 million ad campaign targeting Latino audiences in key swing states. The digital ad in English and Spanish highlights Trump’s past description of Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists.
The White House has also considered a series of executive actions that could greatly tighten immigration restrictions, effectively going around Congress after it failed to pass the bipartisan deal Biden endorsed.
Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said, “Trump is a fraud who is only out for himself. We will make sure voters know that this November.”
Trump will campaign Tuesday in Wisconsin and Michigan, where he is expected to again criticize Biden on immigration. His campaign said his event in the western Michigan city of Grand Rapids will focus on what it alleged was “Biden’s Border Bloodbath.”
The former president calls the recent record-high arrests for southwest border crossings an “invasion” orchestrated by Democrats to transform America’s very makeup. Trump accuses Biden of purposely allowing criminals and potential terrorists to enter the country unchecked, going so far as to claim the president is engaged in a “conspiracy to overthrow the United States of America.” “I believe that is related to the language used in the past few years,” she said, “and the situation of being overwhelmed by a loud, extreme form of xenophobic language that hasn’t been countered with the actual facts.” One reason the border issue is so important is that its effects are being felt in areas far from the border. Allies of Trump, especially Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have utilized state-funded buses to transport over 100,000 migrants to Democratic-led cities like New York, Denver, and Chicago, where Democrats are planning this summer’s convention. Even though the program was initially seen as a publicity stunt, the influx has strained city budgets and left local leaders struggling to provide emergency housing and medical care for new groups of migrants.
In the meantime, local news coverage has often been negative. Viewers have seen migrants being blamed for various things, from a series of gang-related robberies in New Jersey to burglary rings targeting retail stores in suburban Philadelphia, as well as measles cases in parts of Arizona and Illinois. Abbott has sent the Texas National Guard to the border, placed sharp concertina wire along parts of the Rio Grande in defiance of U.S. Supreme Court orders, and has argued that his state should be able to enforce its own immigration laws. Some extreme right-wing internet sites have started pointing to Abbott’s actions as the first move in a forthcoming civil war. Additionally, Russia has also assisted in spreading and amplifying misleading and incendiary content about U.S. immigration and border security as part of its broader efforts to divide Americans.
Logically, a firm that tracks Russian disinformation, recently found that online influencers and social media accounts linked to the Kremlin have embraced the idea of a new civil war and efforts by states like Texas to break away from the union. Amy Cooter, who leads research at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, is concerned that the current wave of civil war discourse will only increase as the election gets closer. Up until now, it has mainly been limited to far-right message boards. However, immigration is enough of a concern overall that its political impact is heightened, according to Cooter. “Americans who are not extremists are also worried about this,” she said. “It’s about culture and perceptions of who is considered American.” Meanwhile, there are people like Rudy Menchaca, a bar owner in Eagle Pass who also works for a company that imports Corona beer from Mexico and attributed the border problems to hurting his business.Menchaca is the type of Hispanic voter Biden hopes will support his reelection campaign. The 27-year-old stated that he never liked Trump’s language and how he portrayed Hispanics and Mexicans. “We’re not all like that,” he said.
He also mentioned that he was starting to consider supporting the former president because of the actual situation on the ground. “I need those soldiers around if I want to protect my business,” Menchaca said about the Texas forces sent to the border. “The bad ones that come in could break in.”
Donald Trump has been intensifying his anti-immigrant language, often relying on false information about migration
“I think that relates to the rhetoric of the past several years,” she said, “and just this dynamic of being outmatched by a loud, extreme of xenophobic rhetoric that hasn’t been countered with reality and the facts on the ground.”
Part of what has made the border such a salient issue is that its impact is being felt far from the border.
Trump allies, most notably Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have used state-funded buses to send more than 100,000 migrants to Democratic-led cities like New York, Denver and Chicago, where Democrats will hold this summer’s convention. While the program was initially dismissed as a publicity stunt, the influx has strained city budgets and left local leaders scrambling to provide emergency housing and medical care for new groups of migrants.
Local news coverage, meanwhile, has often been negative. Viewers have seen migrants blamed for everything from a string of gang-related New Jersey robberies to burglary rings targeting retail stores in suburban Philadelphia to measles cases in parts of Arizona and Illinois.
Abbott has deployed the Texas National Guard to the border, placed concertina wire along parts of the Rio Grande in defiance of U.S. Supreme Court orders, and has argued his state should be able to enforce its own immigration laws.
Some far-right internet sites have begun pointing to Abbott’s actions as the first salvo in a coming civil war. And Russia has also helped spread and amplify misleading and incendiary content about U.S. immigration and border security as part of its broader efforts to polarize Americans. A recent analysis by the firm Logically, which tracks Russian disinformation, found online influencers and social media accounts linked to the Kremlin have seized on the idea of a new civil war and efforts by states like Texas to secede from the union.
Amy Cooter, who directs research at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, worries the current wave of civil war talk will only increase as the election nears. So far, it has generally been limited to far-right message boards. But immigration is enough of a concern generally that its political potency is intensified, Cooter said.
“Non-extremist Americans are worried about this, too,” she said. “It’s about culture and perceptions about who is an American.”
In the meantime, there are people like Rudy Menchaca, an Eagle Pass bar owner who also works for a company that imports Corona beer from Mexico and blamed the problems at the border for hurting business.
Menchaca is the kind of Hispanic voter Biden is counting on to back his reelection bid. The 27-year-old said he was never a fan of Trump’s rhetoric and how he portrayed Hispanics and Mexicans. “We’re not all like that,” he said.
But he also said he was warming to the idea of backing the former president because of the reality on the ground.
“I need those soldiers to be around if I have my business,” Menchaca said of Texas forces dispatched to the border. “The bad ones that come in could break in.”
