Ahmed Murad (Washington, Cairo)
A new Fox News poll finds Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump locked in a very close race in key swing states. The numbers show the Democratic ticket performing better than President Biden did against Trump in previous Fox News polls.
In Arizona, Harris won 50 points to Trump’s 49, while he led her in North Carolina by 50 to 49, and in Georgia by 48 points to Harris’ 50.
The immigration issue is one of the most prominent and important issues affecting the US presidential election race, as it is a fundamental and vital issue for millions of American voters. The issue dominates the competition between Trump and Harris, and the two candidates adopt different positions towards the challenges imposed by illegal immigration in order to gain the trust of voters.
Edmund Gharib, an expert in American affairs and professor of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington, explained that the issue of immigration is of great importance to voters, and that about 57% of Americans consider it a “major priority,” which makes it one of the most important and influential elements in the presidential race.
Gharib said in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the immigration issue is essential and central to American voters, and always ignites any election race witnessed by the United States, especially the presidential elections, and immigration imposed itself in the election campaign of Trump and Harris.
Days ago, Harris criticized Trump’s stance on immigration, saying he has no interest or desire to take action to improve the immigration system. He had previously ordered Republican lawmakers not to vote for an immigration bill last spring.
Trump accuses Democrats of allowing an “invasion of the country” by migrants, especially with a record 302,000 of them being stopped at the border last December.
The expert in American affairs said that the immigration issue is set to be one of the main topics in their upcoming debate on September 10, and will remain a subject of “tug-of-war” between Republicans and Democrats until the presidential elections in November, especially since opinion polls show that about 76% of Republicans care about the immigration issue alongside economic issues and national security, while Democrats focus on health care and education.
Observers believe that many voters are leaning towards Trump’s tougher policy on illegal immigrants, after the policies of Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris caused more than 6.3 million immigrants to flow across the border illegally since he took office in January 2021.
According to some estimates, the average illegal immigration to the United States since 2021 has reached an unprecedented level of about two million people annually, causing increased pressure on vital facilities and social services.
As for the international affairs expert and professor of political science, Dr. Ayman Al-Raqab, he explained that the issue of immigration is always present and strong in the US presidential election race, especially in recent decades, as the majority of Americans consider it a major challenge that must be dealt with seriously and decisively.
Al-Raqab told Al-Ittihad that the US presidential candidates, Trump and Harris, are trying in every way to employ the immigration issue in their election campaigns in order to win the voters’ favor, especially with the growing fears of the repercussions of immigration in American society. The Republican candidate has pledged to implement decisive and strict policies to combat illegal immigration if he wins the presidency.
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