Former President Trump repeated during Tuesday’s debate his claims that crime is “through the roof” and that much of it is caused by immigrants. The data suggests both claims are incorrect.
Asked about his proposed “largest deportation operation” in the nation’s history to expel millions of people in the U.S. without documentation, Trump said the number is higher than 11 million because Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration “allowed criminals, many millions of criminals, allowed terrorists, allowed common street criminals, allowed people, drug dealers, to come into our country.”
He said other countries have seen reductions in crime because “they have taken their criminals off the streets and given them to put in our country.”
Trump claimed that “all over the world, crime is down, all over the world except here. Crime here is up and through the roof, despite the fraudulent claims they made.” In the United States, he said, crime is “through the roof” and has taken a “new form” as “immigration crime.”
When ABC moderator David Muir pointed out that FBI data shows crime is down, Trump called it a “fraud.”
Asked to respond, Harris said Trump's claims were “so rich” that they came from “someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference, has been found responsible for sexual assault, and his next big court appearance is in November at his own criminal sentencing.”
Harris said it was time to “turn the page.”
Crime and public safety have been a major focus of the presidential race, with each candidate claiming a strong record on those issues while attacking their opponent's record.
Harris has portrayed herself as a sharp-witted prosecutor who has taken on sexual predators, unscrupulous corporations and banks, and transnational gangs throughout her career, including as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.
In the past, she has also touted herself as a “progressive prosecutor” who has supported several criminal justice reform measures (including installing body cameras on police officers) and strict federal oversight of police departments at the local level. She has also touted massive investments in local law enforcement agencies under the Biden administration, including through COVID-19 relief funds.
Harris has called Trump the kind of criminal she has pursued in the past. She has also criticized his promise to pardon the insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol and its police officers on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn President Biden's election in favor of Trump.
Trump has portrayed himself as a strong ally of law enforcement and as someone who would empower police officers — and immigration officials — to be more aggressive in pursuing criminals on the street.
He has called for a return to old police tactics that have raised constitutional concerns in the past, such as stop-and-frisk and broken windows; suggested that police should not be “too nice” when arresting suspects; and dismissed the need for federal oversight of police departments.
Trump has cast Harris as a “pro-crime” progressive whose past policies have been soft on criminals and allowed them to return to committing crimes. He has also cast her as an advocate for “defunding” the police, pointing in part to comments Harris made in 2020 about the need to reimagine public safety and redirect some law enforcement funding to other priorities like education, health care and job opportunities in vulnerable communities.
Violent crime spiked nationwide at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, while Trump was president, but has since declined sharply. Studies over the years have shown that immigrants are less likely than U.S.-born citizens to be incarcerated for committing crimes.
Both Trump and Harris have touted their support from law enforcement. Last week, Trump received an endorsement from the National Fraternal Order of Police, which has more than 375,000 members nationwide. Harris released a list of 100 current and former law enforcement officials who have endorsed her.
