Immigration is one of the most debated and crucial issues in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This issue not only affects the economy and national security, but also the country’s identity and core values. For decades, immigration policy has been a polarizing issue, with positions varying widely between parties and candidates.

In the context of the current election campaign, immigration remains a major issue, with direct implications for the lives of millions of people, both inside and outside the United States. The decisions made in this area will determine not only the fate of immigrants seeking a better life in the United States, but also the international perception of the country and its role in protecting human rights and promoting opportunity.

Each presidential candidate has his or her own vision and strategy for addressing immigration. Some focus on border security and restricting illegal immigration, while others promote broader, more humane legal pathways for immigrants. These differences reflect not only the candidates’ distinct political philosophies and priorities, but also their responses to the country’s complex social and economic realities.

In this article, we compare the immigration positions and policies of the leading candidates for the U.S. presidency in 2024.

Republican Party: Donald Trump

During his first term in 2016, Donald Trump enacted sweeping anti-immigration policies, including expanding the border wall, separating immigrant families and migrant children from their parents, and banning travelers from Muslim-majority countries.

To no one’s surprise, Mr.Trump has made immigration a central issue of his 2024 presidential campaign, promising the largest deportation and border arrest programs in U.S. history. If elected, Mr. Trump plans to direct law enforcement and the National Guard to conduct raids and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. He also plans to expel them from the United States without due process hearings.

The Republican presidential candidate has gone on the record saying that he would aim to deport as many as 20 million people if re-elected.

Donald Trump has also stated that he wants to ignore the 14^th amendment and revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.

Furthermore, he has said that he would expand a program from his first term that would strip citizenship from naturalized immigrants who he determined to be criminals, terrorists, or “immigration cheats.”

In its first term, the Trump administration also forced asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting hearings.

Democratic Party

Kamala Harris

Current Vicepresident Kamala Harris has sought to balance bolstering border security with creating a “safe, orderly, and humane” immigration system. During this tenure, she has worked alongside Biden to limit illegal crossings at the southern border while expanding legal pathways for immigrants from countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. He also admitted Ukrainians under a similar program.

Biden-Harris administration recently signed an Executive Order to restrict undocumented immigrants from entering the country and make it harder to obtain asylum to curb the number of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. This was the stricted border policy enacted by a modern Democratic president. Though the administration denounced Trump’s asylum restrictions during his campaign, he did reinstate a policy where most asylum seekers must apply in another country first.

The Biden Administration also approved a measure so that spouses and children under the age of 21 of U.S. citizens can obtain permanent residency without leaving the United States. Those protections will keep hundreds of thousands of people from being deported and provide a path to citizenship. In addition, it will facilitate the process of work visas for young people with a U.S. university degree who have a job offer in their area of study. This includes DACA recipients and other dreamers.

Marianne Williamson

Marianne Williamson advocates for a path to citizenship for all immigrants who have not violated important laws, and for the expansion of the number of visas approved. In addition, it plans to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and establish an Office of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration Services to provide housing, health care, and other resources to migrants.

Independent Candidates

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sees the situation at the southern border as a humanitarian crisis and proposes securing the border to end illegal immigration, while expanding the U.S. legal immigration system. His campaign has called this “high walls, wide gates.” Their approach focuses on first controlling the border and then working with other countries to manage migration flows. It also plans to fund and prioritize immigration infrastructure, including court services and border agencies.

Cornel West (Independent)

Cornel West proposes transforming immigration policies to create a broad legal path to U.S. residency. It also advocates for abolishing ICE and reducing the backlogs faced by immigrants seeking legal residency. West would allow asylum seekers to enter without delay or prejudice and prohibit the separation of families at U.S. borders.

Jill Stein (Green Party)

While Jill Stein’s campaign has not specified her current immigration priorities, in 2016 she supported a broader path to citizenship for immigrants and criticized several U.S. policies she said contributed to the immigration crisis. He also criticized agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been replaced under the Trump administration.

The diversity of approaches and proposals on immigration underscores the importance of this issue in shaping the future of the United States. As voters prepare to elect their next president, it is critical that they understand the differences between the candidates and how each plan to address the challenges and opportunities associated with immigration.

While we cannot know what a new administration could bring for sure, we do know that the best way you can protect yourself if you are currently undocumented in the United States is to fix your papers and secure your legal status. Call Eagan Immigration today at 202-709-6439 for a free case evaluation or schedule at this link: Schedule Appointment with Eagan Immigration (as.me)