Former President Donald Trump vowed to end the “illegal immigration crisis” during his Thursday evening speech at the Republican National Convention — his first public address since he narrowly survived an assassination attempt last Saturday.
Trump’s highly-anticipated speech began around 10:30 p.m. to close out the four-day convention, after being introduced by UFC CEO Dana White.
“Our borders will be totally secure, our economy will soar,” the former president said in a list of goals for his potential next term in office. “To achieve this future, we must first rescue our nation from failed and totally incompetent leadership.”
“Under the current administration, we are indeed a nation on decline… We have an illegal immigration crisis and it’s taking place right now as we sit here in this beautiful arena,” Trump said.
Going on to call the crisis a “massive invasion,” that has spread crime and disease to “our communities,” he lamented that “nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”
“I will end the illegal by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of which I’ve already built,” the Republican continued.
Trump’s administration constructed over 400 miles of barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands on stage with former first lady Melania Trump during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
An “overwhelming” number of Americans want to continue building a wall and tighten immigration rules, according to an April survey from I&I/TIPP Poll.
Out of 1,432 respondents, 58 percent said they favored a wall and more border enforcement “at minimum,” and a plurality of 42 percent said they favored deportations to go along with those security enhancements.
“We have to stop the invasion into our country that’s killing hundreds of thousands of people a year. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump pressed on, appearing to refer to overdose deaths stemming from drugs coming over the border.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 107,543 people fatally overdosed on drugs in the U.S. in 2023, after 111,029 in 2022.
“Today our cities are being flooded by illegal immigrants,” Trump continued, before saying that “Americans are being squeezed” out of the workforce in favor of migrants.
“You know who’s being hurt the most by millions of people pouring into the country? The black population and our Hispanic population,” he said, arguing that the new arrivals are taking jobs from those groups and hurting labor unions.
Trump’s remarks on how illegal immigration has been impacting black Americans come after leftwing politicians and commentators criticized him for using the phrase “black jobs” while making that point during his June debate against Joe Biden.
The former president went on to promise to “quickly” stop the “invasion” upon entering office, setting his “day one” goal to “close our borders.”
Trump also highlighted the work of Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the beginning of his tenure, and National Border Patrol Council president Brandon Judd.
He also called out El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, crediting him with cracking down on criminals in his nation while “sending them all to the United States.”
As for any country that refuses to take back migrants once they have been turned away at the border or deported, Trump said they will receive “no more economic aid of any kind.”
“We want people to come into our country, but they have to come into our country legally,” he noted.
“Less than four years ago, I handed this administration the strongest border in American history,” Trump said, gesturing to a chart that was on the screen in Butler, Pennsylvania when he was shot at by the rooftop gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“Last time they put up that chart, I never really got to look at it. But without that chart, I would not be here today.”
“Under the Trump administration, if you came in illegally, you were apprehended immediately and were deported. You went right back,” the Republican continued. “You know how unfair it is? So many people, hundreds of thousands of people, have been working for years to get into this country.”
He wound down his segment on illegal immigration by raising the names of Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morrin, and Laken Riley — all victims of homicide by illegal alien suspects.
Once again vowing to strengthen the border and promising to end catch-and-release policies, Trump said, “I will keep our sons and daughters safe.”
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