New York – In his speech at the Republican National Convention where he was nominated yesterday as a candidate for the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump did not tone down his anti-immigrant tone by insisting on criminalizing undocumented immigrants as part of his government plan.
Trump’s message at the closing of the conclave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, did not deviate from his approach in 2016.
During his election campaign that year, Trump used disparaging and generalized phrases, but to refer to Mexicans. One of the phrases that resonated deeply with public opinion was the one that included the description of Mexicans as drug dealers and rapists.
“(Mexico) is sending people who have a lot of problems, and they are bringing those problems to us. They are bringing drugs, and they are bringing crime, and their rapists,” the tycoon said at the time.
On this occasion, as part of his speech accepting the nomination, Trump described undocumented immigrants in general terms as “murderers, drug traffickers, terrorists and criminals” who invade the United States.
Trump directly pointed to immigrants from Venezuela and El Salvador
But he specifically referred to immigrants from Venezuela and El Salvador, and how crime in these countries has supposedly gone down because the governments are sending their murderers to the U.S.
“The greatest invasion in history is happening right here in our country. They are coming from every corner of the earth, not just South America, but Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. They are coming from everywhere, and this administration is doing nothing to stop them. They are living in prisons and jails, in mental institutions and asylums, and terrorists at levels never seen before. Meanwhile, our crime rates are rising, while crime statistics around the world are falling. That’s because they are bringing their murderers, drug dealers, terrorists, and criminals of all shapes and sizes to the United States. We have become a dumping ground for the world that is laughing at us. They think we are stupid…”, argued Trump.
He continued: “In Venezuela, crime is down 72%. In El Salvador, murders are down 70%. The criminals of the world are coming here, to a town near you, and they are being sent by their governments because their governments are smarter than we are.”
It is unclear where the Republican candidate got the above figures from.
However, a CNN analysis following Trump’s speech notes that the candidate “vastly” exaggerated the decline in crime in Venezuela during the Biden administration. According to the network, the limited statistics that are available on the subject indicate that, although it is true that there may be criminals among Venezuelans who have migrated, there is no evidence that the Venezuelan government has deliberately emptied prisons for immigration purposes or intentionally sent people with criminal records to the US. There is also no data to support the argument that foreign governments in general are doing so. The above also applies to the claim of mental health facilities.
Trump mentioned the case of Jocelyn Nungaray
Elsewhere in his speech, the Republican mentioned cases in which immigrants have been accused of crimes such as the rape and murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas.
Venezuelan immigrants Johan José Martínez Rangel, 22, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, were charged in connection with the incident.
“Just recently I spoke with the grieving mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a beautiful 12-year-old girl from Houston who was last seen bound, assaulted, and strangled to death after walking to a convenience store, her body dumped near the side of the road in a shallow creek. For Jocelyn’s heinous crime, the defendants were two undocumented immigrants from Venezuela who crossed our border and were in custody and then released into our country by the current administration,” the former president said.
Trump also mentioned the case of Rachel Morin in Maryland.
Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was raped and murdered while jogging on the Ma & Pa Trail in Harford County in August of last year.
Last month, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, of Salvadoran origin, was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a suspect in the incident.
“I, too, recently met with the heartbroken mother and sister of Rachel Morin. Rachel was a 37-year-old mother of 5 who was brutally raped and murdered while out jogging. The monster responsible first killed another woman in El Salvador before being allowed into the United States by this White House…”, the former president said.
Trump insists on the largest deportation operation in US history
Trump stressed that the United States is suffering from an illegal immigration crisis and a massive invasion of the southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and the destruction of communities across the country.
“I will end the illegal immigration crisis by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of what I have already built,” he said.
In this regard, Trump stressed his promise to launch the largest deportation operation in US history, “even larger than that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.”
Despite his direct attack on illegal immigration, elsewhere in his message, Trump appealed to unity and hope to prevail in the presidential race.
“I stand before you tonight with a message of confidence, strength and hope. I am running for president for all of America, not half of it, because there is no victory by winning only half of it,” the Republican said.
The meeting, which began on Monday at Fiserv Forum, was intended to confirm the candidacy of Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
The conclave was also supposed to ratify the Republican Party’s government plan or platform.
Regarding immigration, in Chapter 2 under “SEAL THE WALL AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION,” the document notes that Republicans under Trump offer an aggressive plan to stop open border policies that have opened the floodgates to a wave of illegal immigrants, drug traffickers, and immigration crimes.
“Republicans will strengthen ICE, increase penalties for illegal entry and overstay visas, and reinstate Remain in Mexico and other policies that helped drive immigration to historic lows during President Trump’s first term. We will also invoke the Undocumented Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members, drug traffickers, or cartel members from the United States, ending the scourge of illegal immigrant gang violence once and for all. We will bring back the Travel Ban, and use Title 42 to end the child trafficking crisis by returning all children to their families in their home countries immediately,” reads the platform text.
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