The Morning: The stakes on immigration

Plus, walkie-talkie attacks in Lebanon, an interest-rate cut and MAGA fashion.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 19, 2024 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering the presidential candidates' immigration policies — plus, walkie-talkie attacks in Lebanon, an interest-rate cut and MAGA fashion. Migrants line up to be transported to a Border Patrol processing center in Arizona. Rebecca Noble for The New York Times THE STAKES Two paths on immigration Nine years after Donald Trump's rise in American politics, the stakes on immigration may seem clear enough. Trump wants a harsh crackdown on illegal immigration, with a border wall and mass deportations. Kamala Harris wants an approach that balances border security with human rights considerations. That broad framing gets many things right, but it also masks some nuance and overlap between the two candidates. Consider: Trump says he wants to increase at least some forms of legal immigration. And Harris supports a bill that would help build the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Those are not the positions voters typically hear from either candidate. The Morning is running a series in which we explain how the government would work differently under Harris or Trump. In this installment, I focus on immigration. Their records Trump: Since he entered politics in 2015, no issue has animated Trump like immigration. When he was in the White House, he built parts of the wall. He enacted a travel ban focused on Muslim countries. He separated families who crossed the border, in an attempt to deter future migrants. He worked with Mexico to stop people from entering the U.S. He closed the border to nonessential travel during the Covid pandemic. But he has also fought immigration restrictions for his own political benefit. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of senators proposed a bill that would have limited asylum — a major source of undocumented immigration — and hired more border guards, among other changes. Trump called on Republican lawmakers to oppose the bill because he worried it would prevent him from running on immigration if President Biden fixed the problem. Harris: Vice President Harris comes from an administration with a shifting record on immigration. At first, Biden relaxed rules. He undid many of Trump's policies and spoke warmly about migrants. The number of illegal border crossings soared. When it became clear the surge was hurting Democrats in the polls, the administration started to crack down. After the border security bill failed to pass Congress, Biden signed an executive order in June that has largely blocked asylum seekers. Illegal entries plummeted. Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Only encounters between ports of entry are shown. | By Ashley Wu Biden also put Harris in charge of helping address the root causes of illegal immigration. This position was not really "border czar," as Harris's critics claim. She worked with Latin American countries to boost their economies and bring down crime, making it less likely that people would want to come to the United States. Harris has changed her position on some immigration issues. She no longer supports decriminalizing illegal border crossings, as she did in her 2020 presidential campaign. That move reflects her tougher shift on immigration overall. Their plans Trump: If he wins, Trump has promised a tougher crackdown on immigration than he carried out in his first term. Besides finishing the wall, he has said he will mount the "largest deportation effort in American history." He said last week that his crackdown will begin in Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colo., which have recently been at the center of false and hyperbolic claims about immigration. He would push the military and law enforcement to deport millions of undocumented immigrants across the country. But he has not answered questions about the specifics: Would law enforcement go door to door? How would officials identify migrants? Would there be protections to ensure that legal immigrants and citizens aren't deported, as happened in a previous mass deportation campaign in the 1950s? Trump has taken a few immigration-friendly positions, such as promising a green card to college graduates who are not citizens. He made similar remarks in 2016 and, while in office, actually reduced legal immigration. But many economists worry that mass deportations would shrink the work force, hurting the economy. Trump could address those concerns with a plan to bring more workers to the U.S. legally. Harris: Harris has cast herself as tough on the border, embracing the bipartisan bill that Trump helped defeat this year. That measure would fund the wall, give the president new powers to restrict border crossings and modestly expand legal immigration. For Harris, this is a balancing act. Democrats have battled Trump's agenda and taken a friendlier stance on immigration. But polls show that Americans see the border as out of control, and many now support the wall and mass deportations. Harris is trying to get her party to face that political reality. That still involves some immigration-friendly positions. Harris, for example, supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But Democrats would likely need to control the House and the Senate to make it happen. If Republicans control any part of Congress, Harris could end up with only the more restrictive parts of her agenda. Different visions What would all these policies add up to? Trump would likely leave the country with far fewer immigrants, with big effects across American life and the economy. Harris would enact more modest changes, taking steps to stop illegal immigration without mass deportations. That situation likely wouldn't be too different from the one today, now that border crossings have fallen under Biden. For more Trump, at a rally in New York, said he would visit Springfield and Aurora, two towns he has mentioned in false claims about immigration. Harris criticized Trump's mass deportation plan at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event, promising to change what she called a "broken" immigration system. Biden denounced Trump's comments about immigrants "poisoning the blood" of the country, The Hill reports. "We're a nation of immigrants and that's why we're so damn strong," he said. Long before he accused Haitian immigrants of eating pets, Trump said Haitians "all have AIDS" and spoke derisively about the country. The Stakes A Morning newsletter series on how the government might work under Trump or Harris. Presidential power Taxes THE LATEST NEWS U.S. Economy The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by half a percentage point, a sharp cut that suggests central bank officials are confident that inflation is fading. This was the Fed's first rate cut since early 2020. Officials expect to make another of the same size this year, to hold down unemployment. The cut is the latest good economic news for the Biden administration. Harris welcomed it but said she remained focused on lowering prices. Trump said it showed that either the economy was bad or the Fed was "playing politics." Lebanon Radio Attack In Beirut, Lebanon.  Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times Walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon, in another apparent coordinated attack on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group. The blasts killed at least 20 people and injured 450. There were fewer explosions than in the Israeli attack on Tuesday that detonated hundreds of pagers. But the walkie-talkies were larger and could have held more explosives, a Times analysis found. Israel manufactured the pagers, lacing their batteries with explosives, as part of an elaborate plan, defense and intelligence officials say. Read about Israel's modern-day Trojan horse. A Times reporter was covering a funeral after the pager attacks when a blast went off nearby. People panicked and ran as loudspeakers ordered them to remove the batteries from their phones. Israeli officials have not directly addressed the explosions, but the prime minister and defense minister said that the military was shifting its focus from Gaza to Lebanon. "They killed our child Fatima!": Mourners gathered for the funeral of 9-year-old Fatima Abdullah, who had heard her father's pager beep in the kitchen and was carrying it to him when it exploded, a relative said. 2024 Election New Times polls showed mixed results, with Harris and Trump tied nationally but Harris ahead in Pennsylvania, an important swing state, Nate Cohn explains. The Teamsters union won't endorse a presidential candidate. It released survey results saying most of its members preferred Trump, which Trump called an honor. The day before a gunman shot Trump from a rooftop in July, the Secret Service discussed the building as a security risk — but failed to secure it, a Times investigation found. JD Vance said that Democrats who label Trump a fascist were inciting violence. Trump has repeatedly called Harris a fascist. Trump's threats to prosecute "corrupt" election officials have alarmed the local and state workers who run elections. More than 100 Republican former national security officials and former members of Congress endorsed Harris, calling Trump unfit. Climate A controlled burn in the San Bernardino National Forest. Philip Cheung for The New York Times Residents of California's mountain towns want to stay. But insurers say fires make their homes too risky. Texas, the biggest oil-producing state, has kept up with energy demand by embracing solar power. America's emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, are still growing, despite promises to cut back, research shows. Other Big Stories The House rejected Speaker Mike Johnson's funding bill after 14 Republicans defected. Without more funding, the government will shut down at the end of the month. The Justice Department sued the owner and operator of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Owners of G.M.'s electric vehicles will be able to use Tesla's chargers, the largest network in the U.S., starting today. A federal judge ordered Sean "Diddy" Combs to remain in jail until his trial for sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, rejecting a request for bail. The authorities searching for a highway gunman in Kentucky found a body they believe to be their suspect, ending a 12-day manhunt. Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty to new charges in New York that accuse him of sexually assaulting a woman in 2006. Opinions The W.N.B.A. rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese play very different roles on the court. Pitting them against each other is a disservice to both, Esau McCaulley writes. Here's a column by Nicholas Kristof on the crisis in Sudan. Readers of The Morning: Don't miss out on a full year of savings. From in-depth coverage of Decision 2024 to unlimited news and analysis, Games, Cooking, The Athletic and more, subscribe now for only $1 a week for your first year. MORNING READS Lena Ruseva modeled a dress of her own design. Johnny Milano for The New York Times MAGA fashion: A conservative-themed fashion show featured ball gowns, sequined jackets and, of course, hats. See the looks. NASA: The mission — a $5 billion probe headed for a moon of Jupiter — looked doomed. See how engineers saved it. Rainforest: A tiny lizard inflates a natural scuba tank — an air bubble on its head. See a photo. Lives Lived: Time magazine ruined Dusko Doder's journalism career when it falsely reported that the K.G.B. had recruited him. Doder sued for libel and won, and Time apologized. He died at 87. SPORTS N.B.A.: Adrian Wojnarowski, a popular league insider, suddenly retired from ESPN. Our media critic reports he's walking away from $20 million. M.L.B.: The Milwaukee Brewers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. Late last night, the New York Yankees joined them. W.N.B.A.: The league chose Portland as home for its 15th team. It's another indicator of the sport's explosive growth. ARTS AND IDEAS The New York Times Armor companies are marketing products designed for the military to parents and schools. Their bulletproof backpacks and hoodies often have kid-friendly aesthetics such as whimsical colors and patterns. Some people see them as unsettling but necessary; others find them infuriating. One company makes a morbid promise: "If you get shot (God forbid) with our hoodies on, we'll send you a replacement hoodie FREE of charge," it says. "Just include the police report or news clip." More on culture Steve Burns, the former star of the beloved children's show "Blues Clues," has a new audience: adults on TikTok. "According to a new poll, young people are nervous about the 2024 election. Oh, my God, am I young?" Stephen Colbert joked on his late night show. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Armando Rafael for The New York Times Transform a basic corn muffin with blueberries. Fight inflammation with these foods. Use a cheaper, better sponge. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was matchup. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. 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