President Trump, Senate Republicans Claim Victory with Clear Mandate on Immigration

FAIR Take | November 2024

Early Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Republicans also won a clear majority in the Senate and seem set to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. This notable sweep comes as illegal immigration remains one of the top issues for Americans across the country, an issue that President Trump made central throughout his campaign.

In a resounding victory, President Trump won 312 Electoral College votes compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 226. President Trump is also on track to win the popular vote, accumulating roughly 72 million votes from Americans across the country—the first time a Republican candidate has won the popular vote since George W. Bush was elected in 2004. Major turning points leading to Trump’s election came from victories in battleground states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina, which together provided him with 76 electoral votes, and a surge in support across demographic groups.

In addition to taking back the White House, Republicans also regained control of the Senate. So far, Republicans have won a 53-45 majority in the Senate, with several races still outstanding. Republicans flipped several seats in their favor, including Bernie Moreno defeating Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Tim Sheehy defeating Democratic incumbent Jon Tester in Montana, and Jim Justice picking up retiring Senator Joe Manchin’s seat in West Virginia.

While the battle for the House of Representatives is still underway, it appears likely that Republicans will retain the majority. The current margin for the next Congress stands at 210-198 in favor of Republicans, with 218 needed for a majority. Throughout the 118th Congress, which has been widely deemed one of the least productive sessions ever, passing substantive immigration legislation has proved to be an uphill battle. However, with House Republicans poised to expand their majority going into the next session of Congress, that gridlock may change come January.

Americans have increasingly been demanding that the government enforce our immigration laws. In an October New York Times/Siena College poll, 57 percent of likely voters said they supported deporting those living in the country illegally. This number included 29 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents. About 55 percent of voters nationally, including 20 percent of Democrats, 90 percent of Republicans and 54 percent of independents said they supported a wall on the border with Mexico. This is a significant increase from 2016 and 2020, when about 40 percent supported building a wall.

More than simply securing the border, Americans are increasingly favoring the reduction of legal immigration. In July, Gallup reported that 55 percent of U.S. adults want to decrease immigration to the U.S., up from 41 percent in 2023. This marked the first time since 2005 that Gallup recorded that most Americans want less immigration. Gallup also reported that 76 percent of American adults support hiring significantly more Border Patrol agents, and 63 percent support allowing the president and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary to temporarily prevent individuals from seeking asylum when the border is overwhelmed.

In Tuesday’s election, voters clearly rejected the Biden-Harris administration’s open-borders policies and gave the Trump-Vance administration a mandate to secure the border and reform our immigration system. The Trump-Vance administration should immediately take steps to restart construction of the border wall and to restore effective policies that discourage illegal immigration, such as ending mass catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico, and employing expedited removal on a large scale. Terminating illegal parole programs and enforcing the rule of law to remove illegal aliens already in the country must also be priorities.

Voters have also given Congress a mandate to act and implement permanent policies to prevent future Presidents from abusing our immigration system as we have witnessed the past four years. Congress should therefore immediately pass substantive immigration legislation that codifies sound immigration policy, not simply throw more money at a broken system.  The most important bill in that respect is the comprehensive, FAIR-supported H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act.  That bill passed the House of Representatives in May 2023 but was completely ignored by the Democratic-controlled Senate. Congress should also prioritize protecting the integrity of our election system and work to pass H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, and H.R. 7109, the Equal Representation Act.

President Trump clearly heard the demands of voters.  In his victory speech, President Trump said: “[w]e’re gonna have to seal up those borders, and we’re gonna have to let people come into our country. We want people to come back in. But we have to, we have to let them come back in, but they have to come in legally. They have to come in legally.”  In contrast, Vice President Harris said in her concession speech that, “[t]his is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”

In Congress, Members are already positioning themselves for the start of a new Congress.  Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who easily won reelection, indicated that he plans to again run for the Speaker’s office should Republicans retain the majority and said, “[i]t has been the honor of my lifetime to serve with you thus far, and I look forward to playing the biggest offense of our lives.”  Current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) meanwhile sought to temper expectations, saying, “[a]s I’ve said time and again, in both the majority and the minority, the only way to get things done in the Senate is through bipartisan legislation while maintaining our principles — and the next two years will be no different.”  Current Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is set to resign from his leadership position this session, with the race to replace him still undecided. Frontrunners in that race include Republican Senators John Thune (S.D.), John Cornyn (Texas), and Rick Scott (Fla.).

The American people made it clear on Tuesday: President Trump and the 119th Congress must roll back the open-borders, anti-enforcement agenda that has been devastating communities across the country for the past four years. FAIR looks forward to working with the incoming presidential administration and hopes to see President Trump take decisive action to restore our borders and ensure that our immigration laws are respected and enforced. Likewise, FAIR will work closely with the 119th Congress to enact strong, comprehensive immigration policy reforms focused on putting an end to the failed border security policies of the Biden-Harris administration and bolstering interior enforcement to remove the millions of illegal aliens already in the country.