It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.

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Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

HARRIS AND TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

Every American voter goes to the polls with an array of critical issues at the top of their minds.

We’d like to start our look at the contrasts between the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns by looking at the issues that Americans say are the most important. In our June poll with Marist University and NPR ([link removed]) , three issues topped our list: inflation, abortion and immigration.

This week, we are looking at immigration. Let’s do some side-by-sides.

Undocumented Migrants

Trump: would enact mass deportation of most undocumented people in the country now.

Details: Trump would enlist local law enforcement, National Guard and possibly other military resources in a national roundup of undocumented immigrants, he told Time Magazine ([link removed]) in April. In his view, undocumented immigrants are not “civilians”, though there is no evidence of a military force coming across U.S. borders. Trump regularly asserts, without evidence, that most migrants illegally entering the country are criminals or terrorists, but Customs and Border Patrol reports that many migrants arrive in family groups ([link removed]) .

The former president also said his deportation policy would begin with those he sees as violent criminals and he conceded that the U.S. may need to increase mass detention facilities to handle the number of people affected. He has not offered further details.

The Politics: Trump’s approach to this policy is so popular among Republicans, the delegates at the RNC in Milwaukee proudly waved “Mass Deportation Now” signs during the event.

Harris: a full policy is still coming.

So far, Harris has called for a path to citizenship for some migrants already here and touted a bipartisan Senate deal that aims to stop the future flow of illegal immigration and speeds up, but does not expand deporations.

Details: In her nomination acceptance speech ([link removed]) , Harris said the U.S. “can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border.” In that same speech she said that as president, she would sign the Senate border deal which Republicans blocked earlier this year. That proposal did not increase deportation measures for people currently in the U.S., but instead focused on changing the asylum process and other immigration policies in order to block more migrants from entering the country.

In addition, in 2019, Harris and Biden were among the then-Democratic presidential candidates who raised their hands to agree that crossing the border illegally should be a civil and not criminal offense. But in office as president and vice president, neither pursued this idea.

The Politics: Perhaps sensing the prevailing political winds, Harris has shifted to the right on immigration policies – supporting a move to block access to asylum and spend more to secure the border – while still presenting the Democratic platform as the most humane approach to a difficult issue.

DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Reminder: These are undocumented migrants who were brought here as young children and are sometimes called the ‘Dreamers’. The program provides a legal status and two-year work permit, which can be renewed.

Trump: Trump opposes DACA.
Details: The Trump administration moved to end the DACA program, initially pointing to Congress as the institution that should sort out the future for those involved. ([link removed]) The Supreme Court later ruled that Trump’s action was not legally enacted, and restored the program. Early in his presidency, Trump responded to my questions at a news conference about DACA by saying that this was a “very difficult” subject for him and indicating he would write a new order for the program that would be “tailored” without offering specific changes. Instead he attempted to end it.

The Politics: Polls show DACA is widely supported by Americans overall, but it is least popular among Republicans.

Harris: Harris supports DACA and would like a path to citizenship.

Details: Harris did not mention the Dreamers in her convention speech. But as vice president, earlier this year, she issued a statement ([link removed]) saying she would fight to protect DACA status and push for a path to citizenship.

The Politics: In supporting DACA, Harris is siding with the overwhelming majority of Democrats and independents, alike.

Asylum

Trump: Trump would place a hard block on asylum seekers entering the country between ports of entry and would, as the AP put it ([link removed]) , effectively end asylum at the southern border.

Details: As president, Trump rolled out policies to block or expel asylum seekers who attempted to cross the border between ports of entry. He has vowed to try to reinstate these policies, including the so-called “remain to Mexico” policy which would state that migrants can only apply for asylum at ports of entry. His policies were touted as ending nearly all asylum at the Southern border.

The Politics: Republicans believe they have an advantage with voters on border and immigration policy. (Though it is close when you factor in the margin of error. In our August poll ([link removed]) , 52 percent of voters in our said they trust Trump more on immigration, 46 percent said Harris.)

Harris: Harris would limit migrants’ ability to qualify for asylum and she would dramatically change the system.

Details: What we know of Harris’ own view on this is centered on theSenate proposal ([link removed]) she backed in her convention speech. That compromise had significant changes for the asylum system, including raising the standards for asylum seekers, increasing detention space and making it more difficult for asylum seekers to either enter or stay in the country.

Instead, the bill set up a new system that would shut down the border once crossings reach certain high points. Once that level was reached, many if not most asylum seekers would be returned or otherwise not allowed to enter the U.S. In addition, the proposal moves the asylum adjudication system so that a large part of it would no longer be in the hands of Department of Justice immigration judges, but rather decided by asylum officers.

While vice president, Harris was appointed to resolve root causes of migration in Latin America. President Biden deployed new asylum and border policies, including one that essentially shut down the asylum processing if encounters with people illegally crossing the border reached a certain level. (An idea similar to the Senate bill, but done through executive order.)

Following this and other policies, border encounters have dramatically declined – now at the lowest level in four years.

The Politics: The dramatic surge of migrants at the border, last year especially, led to increased concern and negative headlines ([link removed]) about the Biden administration. Polls show Americans have become more opposed to immigration ([link removed]) in general. Harris and Biden both moved to the right on the issue, talking more about enforcement and border security than when they each ran in 2020.



More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: Presidential campaign enters final stage with both party conventions in rear-view mirror ([link removed])
* One Big Question: Will Harris’ post-convention bump last, and will Trump debate? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss ([link removed]) .
* A Closer Look: Fact-checking Democrats’ claims ([link removed]) at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
* Perspectives: How Republican and Democratic convention delegates reflect American political divides ([link removed])

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HOW YOUNG PEOPLE SEE POLITICS

By Christine Zirneklis, @cazzirneklis ([link removed])
Director, Communications and Partnerships for Student Reporting Labs

How do young people see politics?

This is a central question for a new podcast, made by teens for teens. Across seven episodes, student reporters for “On Our Minds: Election 2024” ([link removed]) from 15 states and Puerto Rico explore how young people view certain election issues, like voting rights, freedom of speech or the Electoral College.

Lisa Desjardins, PBS News Hour’s congressional correspondent, said she “inhaled politics from a really early age.” ([link removed])

Her mother, a grassroots activist, would drag her to political events as young as 4 years old. Playing with her dolls in phone banks. Sitting in for photo-ops for politicians donning her redheaded braids. She also got a front-row seat to the dirty side to politics, like hearing about blackmail efforts inside of campaigns.

“It made me really disillusioned, and it made me want to become a reporter. It made me want to get information about politics out,” she said. “I still believe in what happens in elections, but I want to be on a different side of it now. I want to instead be a reporter and not be in the middle in these closed rooms.”

In the first episode, Desjardins talks about her experience and a describes why she thinks the conversation around politics is harder for teens today. ([link removed])

New episodes of the “On Our Minds” election-year podcast, produced by PBS News Student Reporting Labs ([link removed]) , will be released every other week until November’s election.
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Joe Biden visits his childhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2020. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
#POLITICSTRIVIA

By Travis Daub, @tcd004
Director of Digital

Polls show that Pennsylvania may well be home to the deciding electoral votes in the 2024 election, and the commonwealth now finds itself at the center of attention for both campaigns. But the original colony, which many consider to be the birthplace of American democracy, has only been the birthplace of two U.S. presidents. The most recent is Joe Biden, born in Scranton in 1942.

Our question: Who is the other, and where was he born?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: There have been three U.S. presidents whose last names ended in S. Who was the most recent one?

The answer: Rutherford B. Hayes

Congratulations to our winners: [Here’s the deal folks: It’s August and everyone is on vacation and we can’t access the inbox with the winners. Of course we think all HTD subscribers are winners. So we hope you’re having a great summer, and Josh will share updates on the Hayes question next week. Thanks for your patience! - TD]
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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