"Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion" and "carry out the largest deportation operation in American history" are the first of 20 proposals released in the Republican party's policy platform of Monday, which largely reflect former President Donald Trump's views on several issues dominating the American conversation.
The platform, announced by the Republican National Committee, also proposes "ending inflation," "large tax cuts for workers" and "preventing world war three, restoring peace in Europe and the Middle East, and building a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in America."
The conflict in the Middle East gets a relevant portion of attention, as it also proposes "deporting pro-Hamas radicals and making our college campuses safe and patriotic again," in reference to the pro-Palestine protests that have been rocking several universities over the past nine months.
The platform is dedicated to the "forgotten men and women of America" and includes some of the cultural issues Republicans have focused on, such as transgender people in sports, seeking to "keep men out of women's sports."
Different outlets focused on the fact that the proposal doesn't touch on abortion, an issue that has been sensitive for Republicans as restrictive policies pushed by the more conservative factions of the party have proven to be an electoral liability. The word appears in the document only once, saying the party is dedicated to protecting "the issue of life" and that it will "oppose late term abortion."
All other issues have been frequently mentioned by Trump during his rallies, immigration standing among the top ones. He recently made the headlines saying he proposed to the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to have a spinoff league featuring migrants.
The presumptive GOP nominee made the comments during a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's "Road to Majority" conference in Washington. UFC head Dana White later confirmed that Trump had indeed said that to him, but clarified that they were "a joke."
In other passages of his speech before the evangelical group, Trump reiterated some of the claims he usually makes regarding undocumented migrants trying to reach the country's southern border, such as them coming from "prisons and mental institutions." He then warned that "they're going to start hitting us very hard," and again promised to "begin the largest deportation operation in American history" if elected.
The Washington Post recalled that most people arrested at the southern border don't have criminal convictions, according to federal data, and different studies throughout the years have shown that an increased presence of documented or undocumented migrants does not lead to more crime in the country.
However, this rhetoric by Trump has become a staple of his public addresses. Last week he told a group of prospective voters that undocumented immigrants are stealing jobs and government resources that could be going to them.
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