JD Vance repeats exaggerated immigration figures rejected by experts | Wilnesh News

Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance made dubious immigration claims on Thursday as he accused Vice President Kamala Harris of failing to prevent more undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers from entering the United States.

Vance, the Ohio senator and former President Donald Trump’s running mate, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the Democratic presidential candidate “let 25 million illegal immigrants pour into this country.”

But Vance’s numbers are a gross exaggeration, based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and estimates from government agencies and other organizations that track border crossings and asylum applications.

Vance has circulated this claim before. During a speech in Wisconsin on August 28, Vance claimed that Harris had “allowed 25 million illegal immigrants to enter the country.” In the same speech, he specified that an estimated 25 million people are currently “illegally in this country.”

Neither the Trump campaign nor a spokesman for Vance responded to CNBC’s questions about the source of the senator’s data.

Putting aside the notion that Harris is personally responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration policy, Vance’s numbers don’t line up with existing data.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics estimated in April that there were 11 million unauthorized immigrants Live in the United States As of January 1, 2022.

The number is down from an estimated 11.6 million illegal immigrants in the United States in 2010, but up from 10.5 million in January 2020, the office said.

Independent Migration Policy Institute came up with similar figures, saying in March that “there are an estimated 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the United States in 2021, up from 11 million in 2019.”

“Several organizations that publish authoritative data based on rigorous methodologies have long estimated the unauthorized population at around 11 million,” Senator Michelle Mittelstadt told the News in June said the nonprofit Poynter Institute. Marco RubioFlorida Republicans made similar claims to Vance’s.

pew research center In July, it was also predicted that “the illegal immigrant population in the United States will grow to 11 million by 2022.”

The U.S. Census or any similar national survey does not collect information on the legal status of foreign-born residents living in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports From February 2021 to July 2024, the total number of encounters nationwide was nearly 10.2 million.

But millions of people were turned away at that time: Nearly 2.5 million people have been expelled under Title 42 alone, the pandemic-era immigration restrictions that end in May 2023, CBP data shows.

An encounter does not necessarily equate to a person. Many border encounters reported by CBP involve people who have had such experiences before trying to enter United States within the previous year.

Vance’s comments Thursday morning came as he attempted to refuting recent findings Investment firms such as Goldman Sachs say immigration has had a positive impact on the U.S. economy and labor market.

“That actually led to communities like Springfield, Ohio, where 20,000 Haitians came here,” Vance told CNBC.

“Housing is unaffordable. Infectious diseases are on the rise and people are not able to live a good life in this small town in Ohio.”

“If the path to prosperity is for low-wage immigrants to flood your country, then Springfield, Ohio, will become… the most prosperous city in the world,” Vance said. “America will become the most prosperous city in the world.” country because Kamala Harris has flooded this country with 25 million illegal immigrants.”

Vance cited Springfield’s decision as noteworthy: The city became a national concern after both Trump and Vance spread baseless far-right conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating Springfield residents’ pets. focus of attention.

Trump reiterated that claim during Tuesday night’s presidential debate with Harris.