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If you watched the September one presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trumpyou probably remember the shocking moment when the Republican candidate accused Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio of eating the pets of good, innocent Americans. The comment was so absurd – and factually incorrect— that went viral as a now tragically hilarious TikTok soundbite (“They eat the cats. They eat the dogs”) for Gen Zers and millennials to dance to.

And while we all love some comic relief, Trump’s untrue accusation was pretty honest at its core and very much exemplifies his stance on immigration. The former president has long made it his “Make America Great Again” mission to keep immigrants out of the United States. In his first term, he insisted he would build a wall along the southern border “and make Mexico pay for it.” That didn’t happen, but Trump hopes that if he’s re-elected, he can continue that passion project.

Now running against Harris in the presidential race, the Republican has attacked the Democrat’s allegedly permissive border policies. While Harris agrees that illegal immigration must be stopped, she and Democrats hope to continue to focus on strengthening asylum laws for people who want to cross the border in hopes of finding a better life in the United States.

Immigration is a top issue on this year’s ballot, and both candidates have struggled to win Arizona, the border state with a large population of Latino voters, which could swing the election.

Below, we break it down where each candidate is located on the problem.

Kamala Harris

Democrats have a more humane approach to securing the border than Republicans, but Harris noted that in no way means she supports letting criminals in, as Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance from Ohio, they suggested. The vice president reminded the GOP that for years, her job as California attorney general was to keep criminals off the streets and enforce the law, but that viewing all immigrants as criminals is a Republican issue.

“As the Attorney General of California, I know what a crime looks like. Let me tell you, an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in 2017.

She accused Trump of “fanning the flames of fear and division” by vilifying immigrants.

Instead of chasing away Dreamers and separating families at the border, Harris — the first black or South Asian woman ever to be nominated for US president — wants to find a solution for migrants.

Under the Joe Biden administration, where Harris is vice president, illegal border crossings have dropped greatly thanks to the president. the ban on asylum. However, Harris supports comprehensive immigration reform and wants to strengthen protections for immigrants and asylum seekers. Harris is also preparing to create better paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and improve processes to help Dreamers obtain citizenship. (A Dreamer is an immigrant who was brought to the country illegally as a child but has since grown to adulthood in the country and identifies as American.)

“I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between securing our border or creating a safe, orderly and humane immigration system,” Harris said earlier this year. “We can and must do both.”

In short, Kamala Harris:

• He believes in protecting communities from immigrants.

• He wants to reform our asylum system.

• He wants to help migrants and dreamers achieve legal resident status or citizenship.

• He doesn’t believe in throwing out dreamers.

• It does not accept illegal border crossing.

• He doesn’t believe in separating families at the border.

• He doesn’t think immigrants are criminals.

• He does not believe in letting criminals walk free, regardless of nationality or race.

Donald Trump

While Trump — who has continually questioned and mocked his opponent Harris’ race throughout his 2024 campaign — insists he is not racist, the Republican nominee’s plans for a better America include supporting the wealthy upper class and eliminating immigrants .

During his presidency, Trump launched a brutal “zero tolerance” policy that resulted in more than 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the southern border. The move was widely criticized as inhumane, so much so that the administration eventually ended it.

Now, in outlining his priorities for 2025, Trump and his party have listed immigration as one of their top two concerns — the other being “defeating inflation.”

“Republicans are offering an aggressive plan to stop open border policies that have opened the floodgates to a flood of illegal aliens, deadly drugs and migrant crime,” the party said. Member on its platform. “We will end the invasion at the southern border, restore law and order, protect American sovereignty, and provide a secure and prosperous future for all Americans.”

In short, Donald Trump:

• He still wants to build the wall.

• He wants to deport migrants who have crossed the border illegally. (He and fellow executive Vance were unclear on whether that includes unaccompanied children.)

• It wants to stop processing asylum applications, except for migrants who follow legal processes at certain ports of entry. (This can take months or years.)

• He pushed for the reduction of legal immigration avenues mentioned above.

• He wants to “reverse Democrats’ policies on open borders.”

• He adopted a “zero tolerance” policy that separated thousands of families at the US-Mexico border.

• He wants to kick the Dreamers out.

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