Trump Zeroes In On Immigration As Midterms Near

President Donald Trump is zeroing in on immigration wins as the midterm clock runs down.

With the midterms approaching, Trump and the GOP are doubling down on immigration enforcement and deportations during the administration’s October campaign blitz. Trump has crisscrossed the country each week to rally Republican candidates as the party fights to retain control of Congress for the second half of his term.

Trump heads to his rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, on Wednesday, where he is expected to tout what his administration calls historic border security gains, including 17 consecutive months with zero releases at the southern border and more than 3 million illegal aliens having left the country.

.@POTUS: “These are people that come in — as an example, in France, where it’s so bad — they don’t love the country, they don’t love their art, they don’t love their buildings, they don’t love their people — and they’ve got themselves a riot.” https://t.co/5Vtr7nJ9fV

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 19, 2026

Trump has made immigration a cornerstone of his political agenda since his first presidential campaign in 2016, when border security and illegal immigration became defining issues in his bid for the White House.

The administration has continued to emphasize that message during its October campaign blitz. On Tuesday, the White House released a press release touting its immigration enforcement record. Trump has also posted to Truth Social three times since Monday, linking the escalation of riots in France to open-border policies.

The White House Rapid Response account has also shared several videos of Trump warning at campaign rallies about the consequences of what he describes as lax immigration enforcement.

Alongside immigration, Trump has promoted economic proposals, including a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” for every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress. Still, border security and immigration enforcement remain prominent themes as Republicans campaign ahead of the midterms.

Trump has repeatedly touted his administration’s border enforcement record, criticized sanctuary policies and warned that Democrats regaining power could lead to the border being reopened.

When asked how Trump is using his immigration record to help Republican candidates, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, in the final stretch before the midterms, Republican National Committee (RNC) national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre said the issue continues to resonate with the Republican base.

“Prioritizing border security is about keeping American families safe. Under President Trump, there’s been 17 consecutive months without a single illegal alien release into our nation and violent criminals are being shown the door,” Baldassarre said.

“Republicans are united behind that message and taking it into the final stretch because Americans deserve leaders who put their safety first, not leaders who prioritize the needs of those who cheat the system, make our country more expensive, and communities less safe.”

As Trump heads to South Carolina, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested five criminal illegal aliens connected to the state, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller. Their criminal histories include convictions and arrests involving gang activity, weapons offenses, domestic violence, and human trafficking-related crimes.

Among those arrested was Omar Roberto Martinez, a Honduran national and alleged Orange County Street 13 gang member taken into ICE custody on Oct. 15.

His convictions include arson, vandalism, use of an explosive or destructive device, criminal street gang activity, and providing false identification to peace officers. He has also been arrested for firearm possession and methamphetamine distribution.

Martinez was deported in 2010 and again in 2024 before illegally reentering the United States at an unknown date and location.

Jose Manuel Munoz Ramos, a Mexican national arrested Oct. 14, has a conviction for aggravated assault with a gun and an arrest for first-degree domestic violence. He was previously removed from the United States three times, in 2002, 2015, and 2018.

Another October arrest involved Marvin Jonathan Ignacio Lopez-Portuguez, a Guatemalan national apprehended by ICE on Oct. 17.

His criminal history includes an arrest for second-degree assault and battery. He entered the United States through Arizona in August 2024 and was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol before being released into the country by the Biden administration, according to the records.

Elias Izquiero Manuel, a Mexican national, was taken into custody on Oct. 18. His record includes arrests for felony pointing and presenting a firearm and threatening an official.

The date and location of his entry into the United States are unknown.

The fifth individual, Enrique Balcazar-Arias, was arrested by ICE on Jul. 29, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Mexican national was convicted in Columbia, South Carolina, of unlawful conduct involving documents used to facilitate slave trafficking, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press release.

Immigration remains a key issue for Trump’s Republican base, with about 77 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters expressing confidence in his handling of the issue, according to an Oct. 8 Pew Research report.

That figure marks a modest decline from earlier peaks of 84 percent to 88 percent, but immigration remains one of Trump’s stronger areas of support among his base compared with the economy and foreign policy.

The administration’s continued emphasis on border security comes as Democrats criticize its deportation efforts and increase scrutiny of ICE operations during the first half of Trump’s second term.

When asked about the administration’s immigration enforcement record ahead of the midterms, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis pointed to Trump’s border security and deportation figures, writing in a statement to the Caller that credited the president with securing the border.

“President Trump stopped the invasion of our country and delivered Americans the most secure border in American history. Under the President’s leadership, 3 million illegals have left the United States and zero illegals have been released at the border in seventeen months,” Bis said.

She also credited Trump’s law-and-order policies with a decline in violent crime while criticizing Democrats’ positions on immigration enforcement and criminal justice.

“Meanwhile, radical Democrats want to go back to their extreme open border policies, abolish ICE, cashless bail, abolish prisons, and flood American communities with criminals,” Bis said.

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Senior Politics Reporter

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