Here’s What the GOP’s 2024 Platform Says About Immigration
Published Jul 11, 2024 at 2:08 PM EDT
By Dan Gooding
The Republican National Committee (RNC) appeared to fully back Donald Trump’s views on immigration in its official 2024 platform revealed this week, including a call for a mass deportation program targeting the millions of migrants already in the country illegally.
The platform, published Sunday, is set to be formally adopted during the Republican National Convention when it kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.
In listing its priorities, the GOP placed immigration at numbers 1 and 2, stating that the party plans to secure the border following November’s election, assuming Trump is the winner.
“Republicans offer an aggressive plan to stop the open-border policies that have opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of illegal Aliens, deadly drugs, and Migrant Crime,” the platform reads.
“We will end the Invasion at the Southern Border, restore Law and Order, protect American Sovereignty, and deliver a Safe and Prosperous Future for all Americans.”
What Are the GOP’s Immigration Priorities?
The document lists 20 priorities, with three specifically mentioning immigration and the U.S. border:
- “Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion”
- “Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history”
- “Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders”
Securing the border has been a talking point for Republicans throughout Biden’s presidency, though the term “migrant invasion” is a relatively new phrase within mainstream politics, first coined by Trump.
“We must make policy changes to reduce the flow of immigration,” Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, a Trump supporter, said in November, using notably softer language. “The world is on fire and threats to our homeland are at an all-time high. President Biden’s border policies are not working and it’s time to change course.”
Here are the key policy points set out in the 2024 RNC platform:
‘Secure the border’
The platform promises to “restore every border policy of the Trump administration”, while also stopping the release of undocumented immigrants into the U.S.
Finishing the border wall that Trump promised but failed to build during his last term, using new technology to monitor activity at the border and moving troops currently stationed overseas to the border are measures included under this point.
The plan also includes creating a “fentanyl blockade” in the waters around the U.S., with the Navy brought in to inspect ships for the potent synthetic opioid.
In context:
During Trump’s previous term, 472 policy changes around immigration were enacted, according to the Migration Policy Institute, many brought about through proclamations from the executive branch rather than Congress.
Lawmakers would need to find a way to increase funding for border patrol while also adding capacity at detention facilities to avoid the release of undocumented migrants into communities.
Fentanyl seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been increasing in recent years, with over 24,000 pounds confiscated in 2023, and 2024 well on its way to match or exceed that number.
‘Enforce immigration laws’
Under this second immigration priority, the GOP sets out a plan to strengthen ICE, ramp up penalties for those who enter the U.S. illegally or overstay visas, and reinstate Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for new arrivals.
There is also a plan to bring back Trump’s travel ban, while also using Title 42 – enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to speed up removals at the southwest border – to “end the child trafficking crisis”.
While promising to return trafficked children to their home countries, the platform does not lay out how this would be achieved.
In context:
Title 42 was introduced as a public health measure during the pandemic but was seen as a way to bolster Trump’s anti-immigration policies. From its establishment in the spring of 2020 through the end of that year, around 390,000 people were expelled.
President Biden ended Title 42 in May 2023, when he also declared the public health crisis over.
Human Rights Watch, among other humanitarian organizations, has argued against the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which is says puts migrants at risk of exploitation and sexual assault.
‘Largest deportation program in American history’
While it has been reported in recent weeks that President Biden has deported more migrants than his predecessor, the GOP’s major immigration policy calls for a sweeping deportation program to expel migrants already in the U.S. that would dwarf both presidents’ past actions.
The platform says it will reverse Democrat policies which have “allowed criminal gangs and Illegal Aliens from around the world to roam the United States without consequences,” promising to deport those who have broken U.S. law.
In context:
At least 1.1 million people have been deported since January 2021, when Joe Biden was inaugurated as President, compared to the 1.5 million across Trump’s term. Including Title 42 expulsions, the past three years saw nearly 4.4 million people removed – the largest number since George W. Bush‘s second term.
‘Strict vetting’
The GOP is promising to get stricter when it comes to vetting who is allowed into the country, saying that those who migrate here should be required to love America.
“Republicans will use existing Federal Law to keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America,” the policy reads. “We will use extreme vetting to ensure that jihadists and jihadist sympathizers are not admitted.”
In context:
There is currently no policy within USCIS, the agency which processes visas, which prevents non-Christians from obtaining a visa. When it comes to the naturalization process, a person may ask for modifications to the oath of allegiance to honor their religious practices.
When applying for an immigrant visa, permanent residency or citizenship, an applicant is vetted on the countries they have spent time in and criminal background checks are made.
‘Stop sanctuary cities’
Another promise in the platform is to stop federal funding for so-called sanctuary cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.
The party argues that illegal immigrants are released onto the streets to commit crimes in these cities, rather than being handed over to ICE for processing.
In context:
When a known undocumented migrant is arrested, ICE often places a detainer on them, meaning they will be transferred to DHS custody instead of local law enforcement.
Sanctuary cities, typically Democrat-run, have been the target of Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, both of whom have sent busloads of migrants to be housed there instead of in their communities.
‘Ensure legal immigration system puts American workers first’
After five points focused on illegal immigration, the RNC’s final policy proposal on the top speaks to legal routes of immigration.
It promises that merit-based migration will be prioritized during Trump’s potential second term and that those permitted to stay in the country will be contributing to the economy and not be a burden on public resources.
In context:
Many visas are already granted based on merit, including work-based, student and artist visas, though the process of getting those visas is often long and arduous.
A similar plan that was attempted toward the end of Trump’s prior term in office would have eliminated many of the family-based pathways to the U.S. in favor of a skills-based approach. Many analysts, as well as some Republicans, noted at the time that plan would essentially allow legal migration at the same levels.
How does the 2024 GOP immigration plan differ from 2020?
The previous RNC plan — written for 2016 and reused when Trump sought reelection in 2020 — spoke to many of the points in this year’s proposal, but the language was less direct.
It stated that the immigration system should protect American families, their jobs and their communities, while also hitting out at President Barack Obama‘s policies, sanctuary cities and gaps in border security.
“Just as immigrant labor helped build our country in the past, today’s legal immigrants are making vital contributions in every aspect of national life,” the 2016 platform said.
That kind of conciliatory language is absent from the 2024 version.
Who wrote the GOP’s platform?
The 2024 platform, which covers a whole range of policy areas besides immigration and the border, was put together by Donald Trump‘s campaign and the Republican National Committee.
The committee is made up of three main members:
- Randy Evans, the former Ambassador to Luxembourg during Trump’s presidency, who is the executive director
- Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the Trump administration, who is the committee’s policy director.
- Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and the Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, who is deputy policy director of the Platform Committee
The platform as it is written reflects much of Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail. It will be presented at the Republican National Convention on Jul. 15, where the wider membership will vote to adopt it.