In a fiery and raucous speech in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump vowed to “liberate” the country from what he called an extreme influx of migrants, doubling down on his hardline stance on immigration as the 2024 presidential race heats up.
Speaking to a crowd at the Prairie du Chien Area Center for the Arts on Saturday, Trump took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming her for what he saw as a crisis on the southern border. “I will liberate Wisconsin from a mass migrant invasion,” Trump said, adding, “We will liberate the country.”
The former president’s comments came just a day after Harris visited the US-Mexico border, where he announced plans to limit asylum claims. Trump criticized Harris’ border visit and Fox News for commenting, saying, “Everything he said was a lie.”
Newsweek The Harris and Trump campaigns reached out via email for comment on Saturday’s events.
Immigration remains a hot-button issue in Wisconsin and other swing states, with the former president hoping to capitalize on voter frustration. Trump reiterated his controversial stance, having previously described illegal border crossings as “poisoning the country’s blood.” He also promised to launch “the largest deportation operation in American history” if re-elected.
The show features mugshots of individuals in the US illegally who have been accused of crimes, including Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate. Local Police Chief Kyle Teynor addressed the crowd, confirming that Zarate, who was arrested on multiple charges including sexual assault, was not a US citizen and had false immigration documents.
Recent polls show a tight race in Wisconsin. According to the latest New York Times/ Siena College poll, Harris leads Trump by a narrow margin of 49 percent to 47 percent among likely voters in the state.
The Times/ Siena poll, held from September 21 to 26, examines 680 possible Voters and has a margin of error of approximately 4 percentage points. The FiveThirtyEight polling average for Wisconsin shows Harris maintaining a slim 2.1-point lead over Trump (48.8 percent to 46.7 percent).
A recent poll by Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration compared to 36 percent who trust Harris. The gap has narrowed in recent weeks, coinciding with a drop in border crossings following President Joe Biden’s executive order limiting asylum claims.
Harris’ tougher stance on border security reflects Democrats’ efforts to close the loophole and change public attitudes toward immigration. Gallup reported that 55 percent of voters — including nearly 30 percent of Democrats — support new immigration restrictions, the highest number recorded since 2001.
The contrasting approaches to immigration policy between Harris and Trump reflect broader ideological differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms. The GOP ranks immigration as a top priority, vowing to secure the border and stop what it calls “invasion.” In contrast, the Democratic platform emphasizes reforming the asylum system and balancing enforcement with humanitarian considerations.
Trump’s border policies during his presidency have focused on reducing illegal immigration, including the partial construction of a border wall, increased enforcement, and the introduction of stricter asylum rules. The controversial “zero tolerance” policy, which led to the separation of families at the southern border, was widely criticized and eventually ended.
Harris supports comprehensive immigration reform, prioritizing humanitarian protections and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including “Dreamers.” He advocates modernizing the legal immigration system and making immigration an asset to the American economy and society.
Trump and other Republicans accused Harris of failing to implement these policies as vice president, blaming him for the rise in illegal border crossings and calling Biden a “border tsar.”
During an ABC News presidential debate, Trump made unsubstantiated claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which he has denied. He has also promised mass deportation of migrants, a plan that has faced skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans because of logistical challenges.
