(ProsperNews.net) – Republican Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said building a wall on the southern border is not enough to tackle the migrant crisis. He described how border crossers are building tunnels underneath the wall that facilitate the trafficking of migrants and drugs. The long-shot candidate believes the solution is to deploy the military to the southern border and eventually to the northern border.
Last year, there were more than 2.4 million encounters at the southern border. This figure does not include migrants who entered the US without being noticed. Most of the 2.4 million were permitted to enter the US interior. While numbers are far smaller in the north, they are steadily climbing. So far in 2023, there have been more than 115,000 encounters, compared to 109,000 for the whole of 2022. In 2021, the annual figure was 27,180.
Ramaswamy’s remarks come as Republican candidates increasingly focus on immigration and present alternatives to Donald Trump’s proposals to build the wall, end birthright citizenship, and declare war on Mexican cartels. Floridian Governor Ron DeSantis, who is polling in second place behind Trump, said he will finish the wall promised by the former President and use deadly force against drug traffickers.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is relatively quiet on the issue, but in a speech in Las Vegas last year, he said, “We need to secure our border and end the crisis by continuing to build the wall and restore the Remain in Mexico policy that reduced illegal immigration by 90%.”
Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor who is polling around fourth place, said the government must tackle illegal immigration but she supports increased legal immigration. Haley maintains that anyone willing to work hard and obey the nation’s laws should be welcomed. Trump called Haley’s position “weak” and lacking passion.
Donald Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination and his lead over Ron DeSantis continues to expand. In polls from mid-July, Trump leads DeSantis by around 30%.
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