Washington.- Former President Donald J. Trump and Republicans are on the same page on immigration, further evidence that he has strengthened his hold on the party in his third bid for the White House.
At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, the party’s rhetoric and platform echoed his vision of isolationism and border security and his suspicion of people crossing the 2,000 miles that divide Mexico and the United States as it has since his first run for president in 2016.
Although the outbursts have become darker and the language more conspiracy-like.
These are the four conclusions on immigration from the convention.
1.- Trump’s conspiracies about immigrants and illegal voting have become widespread among Republicans.
Voter fraud is extraordinarily rare, and claims that widespread numbers of undocumented immigrants are voting have been consistently debunked.
But Trump’s false claims, which are used to disenfranchise Americans, have been almost universally adopted by his party.
2.- The death of young women is being used as an emotional attraction that links crime with immigration.
There is little data on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, although many studies show that crime has decreased while illegal immigration has increased and that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States.
3.- “Mass deportations immediately” is the new “Let’s build a wall.”
Some polls show that more Americans would support such a plan, but that support is particularly weak among Latino voters, when it is mentioned that this includes immigrants who have been in the country for decades, who work and pay taxes.
4.- Republicans focus on stories about the American dream but ignore legal paths for immigrants.
There has been little, if any, discussion about how the party plans to improve those legal avenues, which members of both parties agree are fractured.
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