Numerous migrants that are part of a massive caravan headed for the U.S.-Mexico border expressed fear of a Republican presidential victory, believing that former President Donald Trump would not let them into the country if he returns to the White House.
U.S.-bound migrants stationed in the southwestern Mexican city of Tapachula, instead, expressed their admiration for Vice President Kamala Harris and pray she wins on Election Day, according to the Center for Immigration Studies’ Todd Bensman. The migrants’ responses come as Americans head to the polls on Nov. 5, the results of which could dramatically change how the country conducts immigration enforcement.
“I love Kamala Harris,” a Venezuelan national told Bensman at the side of a highway in southern Mexico, with hundreds of other migrants beside him in both directions. “Donald Trump, no,” the man went on, and reportedly moved his thumb across his neck to simulate a cutting motion.
“We do not like Donald Trump, because he don’t like us,” one Ghanaian man said to Bensman, adding that Harris is his preferred option for president. Another Ghanaian said “If after Election Day [Harris is elected], we know that everything is good, then we can enter.”
“If [Trump] wins… one has to do what the government says, [wait] for my turn,” a Honduran man named Carlos stated to Bensman.
There were around 2.1 million migrant encounters along the U.S-Mexico border in fiscal year 2024, according to the latest data revealed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The latest figure puts the total number of migrant encounters at the southern border during the Biden-Harris administration at roughly 8.5 million — which does not include the roughly half a million migrants flown into the country via the White House’s CHNV program.
In an effort to crack down on the immigration crisis under his watch, President Joe Biden issued an executive order in June that aimed to control the number of daily unlawful border crossings. Biden doubled down on the order in September by extending the number of days it would take at a certain threshold for it to be deactivated.
Despite the recent efforts by the administration, and Harris’ campaign attempts to rebrand her as more of a border hawk, most voters and those working in border enforcement regard Trump as better fit to handle immigration issues. The president of the Border Patrol union formally endorsed Trump at a rally earlier in October, saying the country would “go to hell” if Kamala wins the election.
However, many of the migrants hoping to enter the U.S. apparently don’t feel the same way about the upcoming U.S. election.
“We know that if Donald Trump wins, all the migrants will be kicked out the [United States]… we hope that he doesn’t win,” another Venezuelan man told Bensman.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
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