Transcript:
The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024
October 17, 2024
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
This week on The Inside Story:
Immigration and the southern border of the United States.
A look at the journey to enter this country, marked by physical and political boundaries.
Now on The Inside Story USA VOTES 2024.
The Inside Story:
ALINE BARROS, VOA Correspondent:
Welcome to the Inside Story, I’m VOA Correspondent Aline Barros. This week I am in Arizona at the U.S. Mexico border. A state that shares a nearly 600-kilometer border with our neighbor to the south. This is the front line for America’s immigration policy issues and the two Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have different ideas on what to do about it. .
Immigration at the border is our lead story this week.
Vice President Kamala Harris made her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as the Democratic presidential nominee late last month.
She walked along a section of a wall built in Douglas, Arizona, during Barack Obama's presidency. Later, at a campaign rally in Douglas, Harris said the country must police its border, but she also called for a better way to welcome immigrants legally.
Kamala Harris, Democratic Presidential Nominee:
And so we must reform our immigration system to ensure that it works in an orderly way, that it is humane and that it makes our country stronger.
ALINE BARROS:
Some Arizonans say immigration is the reason they’re voting for former president Donald Trump, who has promised to be tougher on illegal immigration.
Jane Degrezia, Republican Voter:
I have no problem with legal immigration. Not at all.
ALINE BARROS:
But, Jane Degrezia says those who cross illegally don’t belong in the U.S.
Jane Degrezia, Republican Voter:
It's very unfair to our country. It’s dangerous.
ALINE BARROS:
There are over 4.1 million registered voters in Arizona. About 35% are registered as Republicans, while just over 29% are registered as Democrats. Around 34% of voters fall into the "other" category, which includes independents and those not aligned with the major parties.
Mark Kimble, Citizens Clean Elections Commission:
So, the independent share of the voter pool in Arizona is really growing.
ALINE BARROS:
Kimble is the chairman of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission in Tucson, Arizona. And he’s registered as an independent voter. He says immigration is not everyone’s top issue.
Mark Kimble, Citizens Clean Elections Commission:
Republicans are far more likely to say the major issue is immigration. Democrats are far more likely to say the major issue is abortion. Independents are more likely to say abortion, but not by an overwhelming amount.
ALINE BARROS:
Arizona is the only battleground state that borders Mexico and one that dealt with a record number of migrant arrivals in 2023.
On the day Harris visited the border, Trump, campaigning in Michigan, again promised to close the border.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Nominee:
We will begin the largest deportation operation in American history. And we have no choice but to do it.
ALINE BARROS:
But this young voter says he would like to see an immigration system that didn’t keep families apart for so long.
Daniel Gutierrez, Arizona Voter:
It’s heartbreaking to see families split up.
ALINE BARROS:
Daniel Gutierrez says his father is a Trump supporter, while his mother says she will vote for Harris.
Daniel Gutierrez, Arizona Voter:
So, I hear from both sides.
ALINE BARROS:
And for the upcoming presidential election, Gutierrez decided to vote for …
Daniel Gutierrez, Arizona Voter:
I decided with the Democratic Party.
While some Arizonans know who they’ll vote for in November, others are more focused on simply getting more people to the polls. Joseph Garcia is executive director of the get-out-the-vote group Sí Se Vota.
Joseph Garcia, Sí Se Vota:
Whatever the issues may be, we want them to be informed voters and to make up their mind. For us, it’s truly up to them how they want to vote.
And these voters could help decide who wins the White House on November 5th.
The Tucson sector of the U.S.-Mexico border runs through the Sonoran Desert. It’s an unforgiving environment for migrants.
Martin Whelan, US Border Patrol:
The first obstacle is going to be the terrain in general, especially here in Tucson sector, it's very inhospitable. And then you add the climate to that, with the heat, it increases the dangers of the journey.
ALINE BARROS:
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Martin Whelan says the next obstacle is the border wall. Others are less obvious.
Martin Whelan, US Border Patrol:
We utilize camera technology, sensor technology, and our rapid response to respond when someone crosses the border outside of a port of entry.
ALINE BARROS:
Still, record numbers of migrants crossed the southern U.S. border in 2023. Even the inhospitable Tucson sector, where Nogales is located, saw record numbers attempting to cross.
Robert Ortiz, US Border Patrol:
Since the proclamation, our numbers have dropped.
ALINE BARROS:
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Ortiz says an executive order signed by President Joe Biden in June tightened restrictions on migrants and asylum-seekers entering the country.
Robert Ortiz, US Border Patrol:
In addition to that, it helps us with the removal process. A lot of that stuff gets expedited.
ALINE BARROS:
Border patrol says in the Nogales area they’ve apprehended people from more than 150 countries. The number of migrant arrivals from African and Asian nations has also seen a decline.
Robert Ortiz, US Border Patrol:
Because the message is getting out to the rest of the world that there are consequences for coming in here, into the United States, illegally.
ALINE BARROS:
But for some experts, border security is about more than just obstacles.
Anna Ochoa O'Leary, University of Arizona:
I think we talk about securing the border without really knowing what that means.
ALINE BARROS:
Anna Ochoa O'Leary is co-director of the University of Arizona Binational Migration Institute.
Anna Ochoa O'Leary, University of Arizona:
What I would think a secure border should involve is addressing the root causes of immigration, the root causes that inspire and drive people to cross the border without authorization.
ALINE BARROS:
With just weeks to go until the November presidential election, immigration is a top issue.
But for border communities, O’Leary says the relationship with immigration is complicated.
Anna Ochoa O'Leary, University of Arizona:
Because we know that people arrive here legally and are still considered bad immigrants, you know, so it doesn't make a difference. We are products of that going back and forth (over) the border legally or not legally.
The men and women of the US Border Patrol protect the U.S side of the border. They have daily encounters with migrants.
The allowed us to come along for a look of what it's like for them.
Robert Ortiz, Tucson sector Border Patrol agent:
So right now we're in Nogales, Arizona. Right now, we're in an area that we stations on Nogales station called King Louis area. Nogales, Arizona is part of Tucson sector. Tucson sector has is responsible for patrolling 262 linear miles of fence border fence, like we're gonna see right here in front of us. Tucson sector is pretty unique in the fact that historically, has been one of the busiest sectors in the nation when it comes to encounter apprehensions. There's a lot of reasons for that, but talking about this area specifically is, as you can tell, is this is a warehouse.
So there's a lot of legitimate trade, lot of business, a lot of legitimate, you know people working here. So the criminal element, which is just over here, right in front of us, there's scouts there right now watching us. They exploit that, right? So they try to, whenever the people from the work here go on their lunch breaks, they try to get people across. And they do that by just jumping over and over the fence and trying to get them into a vehicle, trying to get into a warehouse, trying to a warehouse, trying to get them into a semi, trying to get them anywhere they can to facilitate that travel. Because most of the people that cross through here are not going to stay here, right?
Part of our job is we interview other people that have apprehended, and when we ask them where they're going, I've never once heard anybody say that they're coming to Nogales, right? They're always going somewhere else. Never in my almost 10 years of working here in Nogales, nobody's ever had this day here. So, yeah, absolutely, it's it's transitory, right? They're just coming through now. Every station in the sector is unique.
As far as the Border Patrol, we have 250 EMTs in theTucson sector. We also have a specialty unit that their job is 100% search, trauma, rescue. We have those readily available. But here, right now, the if something happens right here, right next to us, my first call would be, get on the radio, 865, can we get a ambulance room this way? We'll have an agent meet them at the entrance. They'll drive the ambulance all the way over here, because, obviously, they're a medical professional. So they can.
I'll do whatever I know how to do, which is stabilized, you know, make sure there's no, you know, anything blocking the airways, if it's if it's a fracture, I can see a bone sticking out. Make sure to hey, you know, calm them down. Try to keep them steady as I can. There's things that we learn during our job, but I'm not going to be able to, that's as far as I can go right, so I'm going to reach out to the people who can help with the best. Right, so here we're lucky that we have these big road right next to us so we can do that with.
ALINE BARROS:
Ricardo Morales leads a class through the steps a migrant takes from arriving in the United States to applying for citizenship.
He knows the process firsthand.
Ricardo Morales, Chicanos Por La Causa Community Organizer:
I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. I've been living in Tucson for about nine years, and last year I became a US citizen. So this will be my first time voting for the federal elections. So I'm very excited about that.
ALINE BARROS:
Morales works for Chicanos Por La Causa, or CPLC, a Latino group offering health, housing, education and other services, including these citizenship fairs throughout the year. The fairs help dozens of people with the application process.
Ricardo Morales, Chicanos Por La Causa Community Organizer:
By guiding people on how to become a U.S. citizen, you’re giving them the opportunity to be a voice and participate in our democracy. For me, it’s a wonderful opportunity to give back to Tucson, but at the same time a responsibility.
ALINE BARROS:
Sean Goslar oversees immigration services at CPLC. He says the group aims to lower barriers for migrants with other priorities besides citizenship.
Sean Goslar, CPLC Manager:
A lot of people come and (say) ‘I have to work. That’s the first thing I need to do. I don’t have time to go to school, or take classes.’ Depending on the classes, they’re cost prohibited as well. Or the free ones are very limited. And maybe they’re doing work hours. Or they’re online and not everybody is tech savvy.
ALINE BARROS:
Goslar says becoming a U.S. citizen can take years due to long waits for residency requirements, processing backlogs and other hurdles.
Sean Goslar, CPLC Manager:
Cost, language, culture sometimes, or lack of knowledge. So sometimes, some people may qualify to take the test in their own language, but they don't know what those requirements are. So, we do our best, obviously, to provide info sessions and free seminars and presentations to the community.
ALINE BARROS:
Francisca Mora is taking advantage of today’s free session. She moved from Mexico 35 years ago. After decades calling the United States home, she is applying to take the next step.
Francisca Mora, Tucson resident:
Because it is time, I think. And it's time to get this citizenship. But by being a citizen, we can exercise our right to vote whenever we are able to.
ALINE BARROS:
And for those who aren’t sure about becoming a U.S. citizen, Mora has one message.
Francisca Mora, Tucson resident:
Well, make a decision. You must make a decision. I decided, and we’re here.
ALINE BARROS:
Whether it’s navigating language barriers, costs, or legal complexity, these upcoming new citizens found the courage to take the next step.
Panama has begun deporting migrants who cross the dangerous Darién Gap from Colombia into Panama as part of an agreement with the United States signed in July. Verónica Villafañe narrates this story by Oscar Sulbarán.
VERONICA VILLAFAÑE, VOA Correspondent:
In 2023, more than half a million migrants crossed the Darién Gap, a 100-kilometer-wide strip of jungle on the Colombia-Panama border. Most made the dangerous trek hoping to reach the United States.
Panama’s newly elected president, Jose Mulino, campaigned on a pledge to stop the flow of migrants and deport those who enter the country illegally.
José Mulino, Panamanian President:
I won’t allow Panama to be an open path for thousands of people who enter our country illegally, supported by an international organization related to drug trafficking and human trafficking.
VERONICA VILLAFAÑE:
He has made good on his promise. As soon as he took office in July, he signed an agreement with the United States that includes a program to fly migrants back to their home countries.
Roger Mojica heads Panama’s National Migration Service.
Roger Mojica, Panamanian National Migration Service Director:
The deportation process includes both people with criminal records in their countries of origin and those who have entered the country irregularly. Anyone crossing the border from Colombia is doing so without authorization, because the National Migration Service does not have an immigration control checkpoint in the Darién province.
VERONICA VILLAFAÑE:
Panama began the repatriation of migrants in August with 29 Colombian nationals, most with criminal records. On a second flight, 30 people were sent back to Ecuador.
However, most migrants crossing the Darién Gap are Venezuelan. Neither the U.S. nor Panama can send them back because both countries have suspended diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Those with passports can apply for a program allowing temporary stays in the U.S. But many don’t qualify.
Marlen Pineiro is the Central America attaché for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Marlen Pineiro, U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
We know that some of them don't have passports, which is why they may not be covered under that program. But we are in discussions with several safe countries, requesting their support in providing temporary or permanent residency for some of these migrant groups.
VERONICA VILLAFAÑE:
For Oscar Sulbarán, in Panama City, Panama, Veronica Villafañe, VOA News.
ALINE BARROS:
The immigration debate isn’t just focused on migrants from Central and South America.
There are also more than 1.2 million Vietnamese immigrants living in the United States, many of them having settled here after the Vietnam War.
Our VOA correspondent, Elizabeth Lee, recently traveled to Texas, where she says the state has the second-largest Vietnamese immigrant population in the country.
ELIZABETH LEE, VOA Correspondent:
For Hong Pham, life in Vietnam versus the United States is like day and night.
Hong Pham, Vietnamese American:
Life was very hard back then. I earned a living as pedicab driver traveling between towns in southern Vietnam.
ELIZABETH LEE:
When communists took over Saigon in 1975, Pham was sent to a re-education camp for serving in the South Vietnamese military. He eventually made his way to the U.S. on a humanitarian program.
But now a wave of undocumented Vietnamese people is aiming to enter the U.S. through its southern border. The number caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection jumped from just under 300 in 2022 to more than 3,000 in 2023. CBP logged more than 3,200 so far this year. Attorney Shandon Phan is in touch with some of them.
Shandon Phan, Attorney:
If people are not quite educated and they got fed all these false stories about how easy that is, they play with their own life and they play with human trafficking, networks that will impose a big debt on their family.
ELIZABETH LEE:
Phan says many migrants pay tens of thousands of dollars to traffickers to make the dangerous trip from Vietnam to China, then Europe, South America and then to the U.S.
Immigration has become a hotly debated issue in this year's U.S. presidential race.
Jeremi Suri, University of Texas, Austin:
I don't think there's disagreement on the fact that there are problems with our immigration system. The debate is really about what to do about it. The Trump administration wants to reduce the numbers. The Democratic administration wants to reduce, but really better regulate.
ELIZABETH LEE:
For Texas resident Minh Le, immigration is an issue that is close to home.
Minh Le, Vietnamese American:
I myself (am) an immigrant so I have sympathy for those immigrants. But every country has its own border. People coming here need to follow the laws and the constitution. Texas is heavily impacted by the illegal migrant influx, and now I have concerns about going out at night.
Hong Pham, Vietnamese American:
Those who flee communism have a legitimate reason to be in the U.S. I’m not in favor of granting asylum to those who come here illegally because of economic reasons.
ELIZABETH LEE:
While Pham’s views echo those of the older Republicans in the Vietnamese community, some younger Vietnamese Americans who were born in the U.S don’t share them.
Jessica Huynh, Vietnamese American:
My mom is more conservative. She's one of those people that wants people to come over here legally. And I get that. She is overlooking the fact that everybody just wants to come here and have a better life.
Lana Nguyen, Vietnamese American:
Whenever someone has the opportunity to be here, they will do what they can. // In my opinion, I don't mind about that, but you do have to become one of us. You pay taxes, you be a good citizen.
ELIZABETH LEE:
The migrants who make it here live in limbo, hoping to find work and waiting to see whether the next president will let them stay.
Elizabeth Lee, VOA News, Houston.
ALINE BARROS:
The US isn’t the only nation grappling with its migration policies.
Human rights groups have urged Britain not to copy Italy’s approach in trying to reduce the number of migrants arriving on its shores. Henry Ridgwell has more from London.
HENRY RIDGWELL, VOA Correspondent:
At a makeshift camp outside the French port of Calais, a group of mostly Sudanese migrants waits for an opportunity to reach Britain.
Last week eight people drowned crossing the English Channel in small boats. The migrants - who asked not to be identified - say they are not deterred.
Unidentified Sudanese Migrant:
Everybody here is afraid, but we must take this risk, because we want to reach to UK. There is no way, no other way.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
More than 22-thousand migrants have made the journey in small boats across the English Channel from France this year. More than 800 people arrived last Saturday alone.
It has become a major political issue. Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to Italy Monday to learn from its recent success in cutting migration across the Mediterranean from north Africa.
Keir Starmer, British Prime Minister:
You've made remarkable progress working with countries along migration routes as equals, to address the drivers of migration at source and to tackle the gangs. As a result, irregular arrivals to Italy by sea are down 60% since 2022. So, I am pleased that we are deepening our cooperation here.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
Italy has struck multi-million dollar deals with Libya and Tunisia to stop migrants leaving their shores. Human rights groups accuse those countries of committing widespread abuses against migrants.
Rome also signed an agreement with Albania last year to send thousands of asylum seekers there for processing.
Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister:
If it works, as I hope it will, everybody can understand that this can become a new way to deal with migration flow.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
Critics question Italy’s approach.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK CEO:
Amnesty International has some deep concerns as to whether Italy is being compliant with its international legal obligations and its human rights obligations in elements of its approach. What we would hope for would be countries like the UK to have a functioning asylum system, one that considered claims properly but swiftly, and dealt humanely with people who are fleeing terrible situations in many cases.
HENRY RIDGWELL:
Britain is giving France nearly 600 million dollars over three years to boost the policing of French shores. But the number of migrants continues to increase.
Starmer said his focus would be on returning failed asylum seekers to their countries of origin – and on better intelligence and policing to ‘smash’ the smuggling gangs.
Henry Ridgwell, VOA News, London.
ALINE BARROS:
For its part, Germany expanded border controls on some of its land crossings. This is due to a recent increase in crime involving migrants.
Elizabeth Cherneff reports for Ricardo Marquina on voter sentiment following key elections on September 22nd in Germany.
ELIZABETH CHERNEFF, VOA Correspondent:
Border checks started Monday on Germany's land crossings with Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. German officials say they are an attempt to stop illegal migration following two deadly knife attacks this year that police say were committed by migrants.
Markus Ziener, German Marshall Fund:
Migration has been a hot topic already for a number of years, but it's still because many communities, local communities in the regions... believe that politics in Berlin should adopt a different approach when it comes to migrants.
ELIZABETH CHERNEFF:
Germany tightened controls on its borders with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland last year. But the new measures reflect growing voter concerns. The far-right AfD party won recent electoral victories in two German states. The party draws links between immigration and violent crime, which authorities dispute.
Norbert Kleinwächter, AfD:
Most of the knife stabbers are simply strangers or aliens from countries like Afghanistan and Syria, and that mostly have obtained asylum status or are even here illegally and should have been deported.
ELIZABETH CHERNEFF:
German police told VOA there is no nationality-based record of knife attacks.
Crime is up in Germany. Police data say 41% of crime suspects overall were foreigners and violent crime jumped by more than 8% in 2023, reaching its highest level in 15 years.
Moderate politicians acknowledge the problem but accuse the AfD of criminalizing all immigrants for political gain.
Matthias Ecke, Social Democratic Party:
What we are missing in Germany, I think is a positive narrative about our society. How can we move forward as a society? How can we get a new sense of community here in Germany? And I think then migration is part of that, but it's not at the moment. The entire migration fear-driven discussion replaces a discussion about who we want to be and how we want to live together.
ELIZABETH CHERNEFF:
The September 22nd elections in Brandenburg will reflect sentiments among people in only one part of the country. But they will give a glimpse of how most of Germany will vote in general elections next year and decide what its migration policy may look like in the future.
For Ricardo Marquina, Elizabeth Cherneff, VOA News.
ALINE BARROS:
That’s all for now. Thanks for watching.
For the latest news you can log on to VOA news dot com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at VOA News.
For more immigration content, follow me on X at aline barrow 2 Catch up on past episodes at our free streaming service, VOA Plus.
I’m Aline Barros in Arizona. Thanks again for joining us. We will see you next week, for The Inside Story.
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