Immigration in the Spotlight at the RNC, Biden Campaign Responds

As the Republican National Convention enters day four, immigration and crime continue to be a major focus.

For Context: Immigration has been a top issue this election cycle, with unauthorized border crossings hitting a record high in December 2022. In June, President Joe Biden issued an executive order limiting the number of asylum-seeker crossings. Unauthorized immigrant arrests totaled just over 83,000 in June—the lowest since Biden took office. Total unauthorized arrests under Trump were much lower. 

Key Quotes:  "Under President Trump we had the lowest illegal border crossings in about four decades. By contrast, however, Joe Biden deserted his duty on his first day in office, he gutted President Trump's policies and the result has been catastrophic," Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said.  Maca Casado, the Biden-Harris team’s Hispanic media director, said, “Nothing spells unity or American values like putting the architect of family separation, Tom Homan [Immigration and Customs Enforcement director from 2017-2018], on in primetime during the Republican National Convention. Americans will never shake the cruel and unforgivable images of mothers being ripped away from their children, and who is to blame: Donald Trump.”

How the Media Covered It: While both sides covered comments about immigration at the RNC, outlets on the left were more likely to mention Biden's progress on the border higher up in the article, while the right tended to include it at the end, if at all.