Immigration remains key issue in US election campaign

With just nine days left for the US elections, immigration remained one of the contentious issues in the US presidential campaign, with many immigrants, including from India and other South Asian nations, fearing a backlash if Republican hopeful Donald Trump wins the poll.

In his campaign speeches, Trump promised a radical shift to tighten Washington’s immigration policy and vowed to carry out the “largest” domestic deportation operation in American history of undocumented immigrants and review the existing refugee programmes if he is re-elected.

The Republican leader has even resolved to end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants living in the US illegally, triggering concerns among various diaspora communities, including from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

Various pro-immigration advocacy groups have criticised Trump over his rhetoric on immigration, saying the discontinuation of birthright citizenship is legally questionable as it is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

On her part, Vice-President Kamala Harris has underlined the need for curtailing illegal immigration and that the US immigration system is broken and requires legislative measures to fix it.

At a recent campaign rally, Trump accused Harris of bringing in “migrant gangs and illegal alien criminals” into the US, adding that “her policy of importing migrant gangs is a crime against our country.” “This is a very sensitive issue and we are worried about the possible fallout of Trump’s victory,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a Bangladesh-origin green card holder living in Atlanta for over a decade.

“Trump’s policy is creating panic among various migrant societies and that is why they are supporting Vice President Kamala Harris,” he noted.

Vasudev Patel, general secretary of the Federation of Indian-Americans in Georgia, said the Republican leader is looking at welcoming “educated” and “peaceful” people to the US.

On campaign trail

• Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will crisscross the country to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days as part of a final blitz before the end of the presidential campaign.
• Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will headline a rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, a high-profile event in a state that last backed a Republican president in 1984.