What does Trump’s number two, J.D. Vance, think about immigration?

Alejandra Arredondo |

San Antonio (USA) (EFE).- Ohio Senator JD Vance, chosen yesterday as Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate on the ticket for the November 5 election, is one of the representatives of the most extreme wing of the Republican Party and has been particularly critical of immigration to the US.

The 39-year-old lawmaker has adopted a protectionist and nationalistic line similar to that of Trump in 2016, pointing out that he sees the arrival of foreign workers as a threat to the US labor market.

“Immigration brings cheap labor into the country, which puts pressure on the whole range of services, from hospitality to housing,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times published in May.

He stressed, “It’s not fair that they’re replacing a McDonald’s worker, a native of Middletown, Ohio, who makes $17 an hour, with an immigrant who makes $15 an hour.”

J.D. Vance’s Bills

Since entering the Capitol as a senator in 2023, Vance has promoted several bills to limit the entry of immigrants into the country as well as impose criminal consequences on people living in the US in irregular status.

Proposals include forcing people seeking to enter the United States with temporary visas to pay a “bond” of between $5,000 and $10,000, implementing a national legal status verification system so that no company can hire undocumented people, or limiting the use of humanitarian aid to allow entry into the country.

In turn, Wayne has helped popularize the anti-immigrant conspiracy theory known as the “Great Replacement.”

Immigration theory

This postulate, which has its origins in a French novel of the early 1970s, indicates that democratic elites are promoting the arrival of immigrants to the United States to “replace” or eliminate the political and cultural power of the Anglo-Saxon people.

Various aspects of the theory began to gain popularity since Trump’s rise to power in 2016, and have been embraced not just by Vance but also by other Republican Party politicians — including the former president — and conservatives such as Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Vance has explicitly mentioned this conspiracy theory on several occasions.

“The media calls us racists for wanting to build Trump’s wall, but Biden’s open border policies (…) have brought more Democratic voters to this country,” Vance said in an ad for his 2023 Senate campaign.

Support for Trump’s agenda

After Vance’s choice as the formula became known, several groups in favor of restricting immigration into the country celebrated the decision and said he would help “fulfill Trump’s promises”.

Magnet has indicated that, if elected, he would continue building the border wall, ban certain types of immigrants from entering the country, and conduct the “largest deportation campaign” in history.

In an interview with Fox News shortly after his election as No. 2, Vance expressed support for the idea of ​​deporting the more than 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status.

“We should deport people who have broken the law and who have come into the country,” he said, later adding: “We should start with violent criminals.”

Several human rights groups and Democrats have already expressed concerns about Vance’s selection.

“The former president had the option of choosing someone more moderate (…) and this solidifies his complete hold on the Republican Party,” Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar told reporters.