Trump's Immigration Policy Gains Unexpected Support
Donald Trump’s proposal for the "largest deportation in American history" is garnering more backing than anticipated, with a recent Scripps News/Ipsos poll indicating that 54% of voters support the Republican candidate's immigration policy. The poll highlights a significant divide among political affiliations, revealing that 86% of Republicans favor the measure while 25% of Democrats also express support. Despite a higher percentage of voters favoring Vice President Kamala Harris, 44% trust Trump to manage immigration better than Harris, who received 34% trust.
Immigration remains a top concern for voters as the November 5 election approaches, with 39% citing it as a critical issue, second only to inflation at 57%. The poll reveals that securing the southern border with Mexico is seen as the primary immigration priority. Support for limiting asylum applications stands at 69%, and 62% agree that local law enforcement should have the authority to detain immigrants, a power traditionally reserved for federal authorities.
Trump has vowed to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, although he has not provided specific details on how this would be executed. He recently declared that deportations would commence in Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado. His campaign has faced criticism for spreading misinformation about immigrant communities in these areas, including false claims about the Haitian community in Springfield.
Concerns Over Election Integrity and Non-Citizen Voting
As the election date nears, concerns about election integrity are rising, with 71% of voters worried that officials may not accept the election results. Trump continues to question the legitimacy of the 2020 election, despite having been impeached twice for attempting to overturn its results. Additionally, 51% of voters, including 82% of Republicans, express concerns about non-citizens voting in U.S. elections, despite legal prohibitions against it. Trump's rhetoric has fueled these fears, claiming widespread voter fraud by undocumented immigrants, a claim experts have largely debunked.
U.S. Support for Venezuelan Democratic Leaders
In a separate political development, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently spoke with Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, pledging U.S. support for their efforts to uphold democratic principles in Venezuela. This conversation comes amid escalating tensions between Venezuela and the U.S., following accusations from the Maduro regime of a conspiracy involving the U.S. and Spain to destabilize the country. Blinken assured the leaders that the U.S. would continue to advocate for democratic freedoms and accountability for Maduro's regime, which has faced international scrutiny over its electoral legitimacy.
Machado has called for protests on September 28 to contest Maduro's election victory, which has been widely questioned by various nations, including the U.S. and Spain.
