Imagine you’re standing in the blistering heat while the rubber on your shoes burns into the ground. You already know that you’ll be standing there for hours to reach what they call the ‘American Dream.’ Imagine the situation in reverse: you find a way to get into the United States without being certified with the golden pieces of paper. All your hard work to live the ‘American Dream’ through your sacrifices. Both situations happen daily in the United States, immigration policies need to be improved very hastily.
Illegal immigration has gotten worse over the last couple of years. During President Joe Biden’s term, the number of illegal immigrations hit a record of 225,000 people. The record was broken in Dec. 2023, then the number decreased in 2024.
Between 2021 and 2023, the Border Patrol agents noticed an average of 2 million people who crossed the border illegally. That means there were about a million unauthorized people coming into the country each year.
People believe that the immigration policies in place are decreasing the amount of immigration into the United States. However, the numbers are far higher now than years prior to this. When the southern border was closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they recorded only 16,000 encounters. That shows that immigration policies were better in 2020 compared to 2024.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are both running for office in 2024. Immigration plays a big role in this election along with other topics such as abortion and the economy. They have both also been discussing their views about improving immigration policies.
When Former President Trump was in the White House, he restricted immigration policies. He tried to stop both legal and illegal immigration by separating parents from children at the border. This policy was controversial when it happened in 2018 under the Trump Administration.
If Trump becomes president, he vows to create a mass deportation plan for the immigration issue. He would track down unauthorized immigrants and take them out of the United States. Each deportation costs $13,000 dollars, so taking millions of people out of the country would impact the economy.
“So let me begin by stating that these illegal caravans will not be allowed into the United States, and they should turn back now, because they’re wasting their time. They should apply to come into our country. We want them to come into our country very much.” Trump said. He wants people to come into the country but won’t let them come in illegally. He’s going to tighten the border policy and make it easier for people to come into the United States legally.
On the other hand, Harris vows to revive the bipartisan bill that would increase border security. The bipartisan bill failed to pass in May. Harris vows to get that bill passed through her presidency. She also said that they would make it easier for immigrants to get authorized and pass through the border.
“We can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border,” Harris said in August. She has called the current immigration system broken and wants to make it better over time.
Regardless, immigration policies need to be improved quickly. The system is broken right now and needs help. Both Trump and Harris, who are running for the 2024 election, have plans for it. Election day is Nov. 5, so tune in to see the results.
