Trump promises to ‘liberate’ Wisconsin from ‘mass migrant invasion’

In a fiery and tortuous speech in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, former President Donald Trump vowed to “liberate” the state from what he described as an extreme influx of migrants, reiterating his tough stance on immigration while The 2024 presidential election campaign is coming to a head.

As Trump addressed a crowd at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center on Saturday, he took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, blaming her for what he said was a crisis at the southern border. “I will free Wisconsin from the mass migrant invasion,” Trump declared, adding, “We will free the country.”

The former president’s comments came just a day after Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border, where she announced plans to further restrict asylum applications. Trump criticized Harris’ border visit and Fox News for broadcasting her comments, claiming: “Everything she says is lies.”

Newsweek contacted both the Harris and Trump campaigns via email seeking comment on Saturday’s events.

Immigration remains a hot-button issue in Wisconsin and other swing states, and the former president is hoping to capitalize on voter frustration. Trump reiterated his controversial stance after previously calling illegal border crossers “poisoning the blood of the country.” He also promised to launch the “largest deportation operation in American history” if re-elected.

The event featured mugshots of people who were in the U.S. illegally and accused of crimes, including Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate. Local police chief Kyle Teynor addressed the crowd and confirmed that Zarate, who was arrested on multiple charges including sexual assault, was not a U.S. citizen and had fake immigration documents.

Current polls show a close race in Wisconsin. According to the latest findings New York Times/Siena College Poll: Harris leads Trump by a slim 49 percent to 47 percent among likely voters in the state.

The timesThe /Siena poll, conducted Sept. 21-26, surveyed 680 likely voters and has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points. FiveThirtyEight polling averages for Wisconsin show Harris maintaining a narrow 2.1-point lead over Trump (48.8 percent to 46.7 percent).

A recent poll from Redfield and Wilton Strategies shows that 47 percent of respondents trust Trump on immigration, compared to 36 percent who trust Harris. That gap has narrowed in recent weeks, coinciding with a sharp decline in border crossings as a result of President Joe Biden’s executive order restricting asylum applications.

Harris’ tougher stance on border security reflects Democrats’ efforts to close the gap and changing public attitudes toward immigration. Gallup reports that 55 percent of voters — including nearly 30 percent of Democrats — support new immigration restrictions, the highest level recorded since 2001.

The contrasting approaches to immigration policy between Harris and Trump reflect broader ideological differences between the Democratic and Republican platforms. The Republican Party is making immigration a top priority, promising to secure the border and end what they call an “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 unauthorized immigration, including partially building a border wall, expanding enforcement and imposing stricter asylum rules. His controversial “zero tolerance” policy, which led to family separations at the southern border, was widely criticized and eventually abandoned.

Harris supports comprehensive immigration reform, prioritizing humanitarian protections and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including “Dreamers.” She advocates modernizing legal immigration systems and portraying immigration as a benefit to the American economy and society.

Trump and other Republicans accused Harris of failing to implement these policies as vice president, blamed her for the increase in illegal border crossings and called her Biden’s “border czar.”

During the ABC News presidential debate, Trump made baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which were debunked. He has also promised mass deportations of migrants, a plan that has drawn skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans because of logistical challenges.