If You Can Keep It: Biden and Trump's immigration plans for a second term

WAMU 88.5 | By Michael Falero

Published June 24, 2024 at 10:12 AM EDT

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States are watched by Texas agents next to the border wall in El Paso, Texas state, United States, after having crossed the Rio Grande River from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on June 5, 2024. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he had ordered sweeping new migrant curbs to "gain control" of the US-Mexico border, making a dramatic bid to neutralize one of his political weak spots in his reelection battle against Donald Trump. (Photo by Herika Martinez / AFP) (Photo by HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Voter surveys show Americans list immigration and the southern border as a top concern in this election year. A YouGov poll from early June showed overall voters said immigration was the second most important issue. Republican voters said it was their top issue, and it ranked second for Independents.

And at the Southern border, encounters between law enforcement and people seeking entry reached their highest numbers on record last December.

The number of border encounters fell this spring. Former President Donald Trump has seized on the issue in the campaign and President Biden recentlychanged asylumrules forpeoplearriving at theborder.Healso offeredprotections to undocumentedspouses and childrenof U.S.citizens…who have lived without papers in the country for a decade or more.

As part of our weekly election series “If You Can Keep it”, we discuss how U.S. immigration policy could change in the next four years when it comes to protected status, deportations, and more.