FAIR Delivers Trusted Information on Where the Candidates Stand
All the polls tell us that immigration is one of the top two issues on the minds of voters as they prepare for this fall’s elections. As a nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization, FAIR cannot and does not endorse candidates for any elected office. However, as an education organization, FAIR prides itself on providing our members trusted information about candidates’ positions on immigration and any policy actions they have taken on the issue as public officials.
With the Democratic and Republican candidates for president and vice president now set, FAIR has examined the records of each of them and posted that information on our website, www.fairus.org. Below is a summary of each of their records on immigration, with more extensive information available on FAIR’s website.
The Democratic presidential nominee has compiled an extensive record on immigration, most notably as Vice President and as a U.S. Senator. In March 2021, as illegal border crossings began to spike, she was tapped by President Joe Biden to serve as “Border Czar,” a role that she redefined as an effort to address the “root causes” of illegal migration in other countries.
As vice president, she is a partner to the record of the Biden-Harris administration over the past three and a half years. FAIR has compiled a detailed list of policies and actions carried out on behalf of the Biden-Harris administration by Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. During that time, an estimated 10 million illegal aliens have entered the country.
Prior to becoming vice president, Harris served four years – less than one full term – as a Senator from California. FAIR details key immigration legislation that she supported and opposed during her time in the Senate, as well as positions she took during her failed effort to win the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
As of the completion of this newsletter, the Harris- Walz website, included no information about her campaign’s positions on immigration. However, it is likely that the campaign will add that information.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee has addressed immigration issues both as Governor of Minnesota and, before that, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives between 2007 and 2019. Like all governors, Walz has had to deal with the impact of immigration – particularly illegal immigration – on his state. During his five and a half years as governor, Walz has supported making Minnesota a sanctuary state, granted driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, and made illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition benefits and publicly-funded health care benefits.
During his 12 years in the House, Walz compiled a long record of supporting amnesty for illegal aliens and constraining immigration enforcement efforts, including against individuals with ties to terrorist organizations.
The Republican presidential nominee has the most extensive record on immigration of any of the candidates seeking national office, having served as president between 2017 and 2021. During his four years in office, Trump addressed numerous immigration-related issues. These included border security, asylum policy, deportation of illegal aliens, refugee admissions, foreign guest workers, and many more.
The Trump-Vance website, includes immigration policy objectives that the candidates will pursue if elected.
Of the four candidates for national office, the Republican vice presidential nominee has the slimmest record on immigration policy, owing to the fact that he has only held elective office since January 2023. During his year and a half as the Senator from Ohio, Vance has been active on a host of immigration issues, including sponsorship of legislation to bar illegal aliens from receiving benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
Vance has also been active on border security, E-Verify, asylum fraud, excluding terror threats and pushing back on the Biden-Harris administration’s abuse of parole authority to allow illegal aliens to enter the country.
Congress
All 435 House seats and 34 Senate seats will be contested in November. FAIR cannot compile positions that every candidate for those offices have taken. However, FAIR’s Government Relations department tracks the voting records of all current House and Senate members on key immigration legislation. These key votes can be viewed on FAIR’s website, www.fairus.org.