Atlanta, Oct 27 (PTI) With just nine days to go for election day, immigration remained one of the contentious issues in the US presidential campaign with many immigrants, including from India and other South Asian countries, fearing a backlash as Republican hopeful Donald Trump wins the poll.
In his campaign speeches, Trump pledged radical change to tighten Washington’s immigration policies, vowing to carry out the “largest” domestic deportation operation in U.S. history of undocumented immigrants and overhaul existing refugee programs if he is re-elected.
The Republican leader has even decided to end the birthright rights of the children of immigrants living illegally in the US, raising concerns among several diaspora communities, including from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
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Several pro-immigration groups have criticized Trump for his rhetoric on immigration, saying the birthright termination is legally questionable as it is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris has underscored the need to curb illegal immigration and that the US immigration system is broken and needs legislative action to fix this problem.
At a recent campaign rally, Trump accused Harris of bringing “migrant gangs and illegal alien criminals” to the US, adding that “her policy of importing migrant gangs is a crime against our country.” “This is a very sensitive issue and we are concerned about the possible consequences of Trump’s victory,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a green card holder from Bangladesh who has lived in Atlanta for more than a decade.
“Trump’s policies are creating panic among several immigrant communities and that is why they are supporting Vice President Kamala Harris,” he noted.
Vasudev Patel, general secretary of the Federation of Indian-Americans in Georgia, said the Republican leader was considering welcoming “educated” and “peaceful” people to the US.
A Pew Research survey report found that Trump and Harris supporters differ on mass deportations but favor border security.
Nearly nine in 10 Trump supporters (88 percent) support mass deportations of immigrants in the country illegally, the report said.
In contrast, only 27 percent of Harris supporters support mass deportations, while 72 percent oppose it, the survey found.
More than a third of Trump supporters (37 percent) support allowing undocumented immigrants to live and work in the U.S. if they are married to a U.S. citizen, compared to 80 percent of Harris supporters who do the same say, Pew Research found.
About half of Trump supporters (49 percent) support admitting more civilian refugees escaping war or violence, but a majority of Harris supporters (85 percent) say the same, the report said.
Latanya, a student from Michigan, said immigration is a major issue in the election and she was angry at Trump for his policies on the matter.
“I think Harris is a much better choice than Trump in the election,” she added.
The US presidential race remained very close, with both Harris and Trump deadlocked for the popular vote in most swing states.
The latest national CNN poll this week found that 47 percent of likely voters support Harris and as many as 47 would support Trump in the election.
The latest New York Times/Siena College national poll from October 20 to 23 has the two candidates tied at 48 percent. The remaining four percent have yet to decide on their preference.
A separate poll conducted by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business found that 44 percent of respondents trust Trump to manage the economy, compared to 43 percent for Harris.
However, an analysis by FiveThirtyEight poll tracker showed that Harris has a slight lead over Trump by 1.7 percentage points.
To win the race for the White House, the successful candidate will need to secure 270 of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs.
The seven key swing states considered crucial for determining election results are Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Nevada. PTI MPB ZH ZH
This report is automatically generated by PTI news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.
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