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M O N D AY, N O V E M B E R 07- N O V E M B E R 13, 2022
V I S I T M O N R O V I AW E E K LY. C O M
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What midterm elections could mean for the state of immigration in the US BY ELISA FERNÁNDEZ-ARIAS/SLACKER
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or months, the Texas Republican governor has been sending asylum seekers to Democratic-run states on buses to draw attention to how many migrants are crossing into the United States through its Mexican border.
Arizona followed, and most recently, Florida’s governor sent around 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts from Texas. According to officials, the migrants had been sent with the promise of financial assistance and jobs — neither of
which were available. In the run-up to midterm elections, Republicans and Democrats are voicing their views on immigration — which has become an even more partisan issue than ever. On Nov. 8, American
voters will cast ballots to determine the outcome of 35 senatorial races across the country. The potential impact of new seats on legislation surrounding immigration—as it relates to the country’s southern border, in particular—varies
significantly depending on if Republicans or Democrats fill those seats. Republicans are more focused on border security, including deportations, while Democrats—sill supporting border security— have been more supportive of paths toward legal status
for immigrants and keeping families together. Stacker looked at current media coverage, close Senate races, and the positioning of both major political parties to determine what the results of the upcoming midterm elec-
| Photo courtesy of Nitish Meena/Unsplash
tions could mean for the state of U.S. immigration. Immigration policy in the US is centered around the southern border with Mexico Although migrants come to the U.S. from various countries and arrive at different entry points, the national
discussion around immigration primarily revolves around the influx of people crossing—or attempting to cross—the U.S. Southern border. Since Donald Trump’s term as president, American support for immigrants crossing the Mexican border has decreased—and
false claims about immigrants being more likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens, being responsible for fentanyl deaths, and a whole host of other misinformation are on the rise. Despite the decrease in support, the number of migrants hoping to cross
the border continues to rise. More than 2 million people — a record high — were arrested for trying to cross the border in the fiscal year 2022. The influx of people who do make it across into small border towns puts strain on the resources of those towns, making trekking across the
desert and the Rio Grande also extraordinarily dangerous. More than 745 people died trying in the fiscal year 2022. While many Republicans favor a militant approach to keeping migrants out, including the building of a border wall, and many
Democrats want to see better paths to citizenship for immigrants, the inability of the Biden administration to pass legislation to address the many concerns at the Southern border has See Midterm elections Page 3