Former President Donald Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her stance on immigration at a Fox News town hall, arguing that “she was in charge of the border” as illegal immigration surged to record levels in recent years.
“They want open borders,” Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity at a town hall event Wednesday night. “She wants open borders. Now all of a sudden she says, 'Oh, I think we're going to close the borders.' She was the border czar, whether you like it or not, but even if you don't want to use that term, she was in charge of the border.”
“It's the worst border in the history of the world, not just here. There's never been a country that's allowed 21 million people in a three-year period. There never has been. And 21 million people, many of whom are from prisons, many of whom are murderers, drug dealers, child traffickers.”
Trump continued: “And by the way, the traffickers of women, you know, the trafficking of women is the biggest, and they are traffickers of women. And they are coming in now and they are putting their funds into our Social Security accounts and into Medicare. And just one thing, if you take a look, look. For the last week, I said this was going to happen. And it's happening because these people are tougher than our criminals, our criminals are good people in comparison.”
TRUMP OVERCOMES SUPPORT AMONG HISPANICS IN 2020, WHO PREFER HIM ON IMMIGRATION MATTERS, ACCORDING TO SURVEY
Former President Trump and Vice President Harris, side by side, split image. (Getty Images)
Trump said that “more terrorists have entered the United States in the last three years.”
“I think probably in 50 years. There's never been anything like this. These people are so bad. They're so dangerous. What they've done to our country is destroy it, and we can't let that happen.”
TRUMP ATTACKS HARRIS AND TALKS ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND CHINA IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR 'LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN'
Surrounded by union leaders, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to union workers during a campaign event on September 2, 2024 at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump explained that “most people don't realize that there are so many countries” that are “emptying their prisons and jails” in the United States.
“They're emptying our mental institutions and our mental asylums. They're emptying our sickest people and they're emptying everything in the United States.”
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Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to speak on national security during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, August 21, 2024. (PETER ZAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Immigration is the second most important issue for voters, behind the economy, ahead of the 2024 election, according to a recent Fox News poll.
Polls also show Trump leading Harris on immigration, where he leads Harris by 14 points in a Fox News poll, 16 points in the Marist poll, 18 points in the Marquette University poll and 13 points in the Wall Street Journal poll — all conducted after Biden gave up on reelection.
Fox News Digital's Remy Numa contributed to this report
