JD Vance explains immigrant deportation priorities if Trump is elected

GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance said in Tuesday's debate that the Trump administration would focus its mass deportation efforts on undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. It would push others to leave on their own through rules on wages. Why it matters: Former President Trump has pledged the largest deportation effort in U.S. history as part of a sweeping crackdown on immigration if he is elected in November. "A lot of people will go home if they can't work for less than minimum wage in our own country," Vance said. "And by the way, that will be really good for our workers who just want to earn a fair wage for doing a good day's work." Vance said they would start with deporting the roughly one million undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes other than illegally crossing the border. By the numbers: Roughly 430,000 immigrants in the U.S system who face possible deportation and are not being held in ICE detention centers have criminal convictions. ICE stats show that the most common offenses are low-level, such as traffic infringements. Some counted toward the 430,000 number could be in prison. In 2015, Migration Policy Institute estimated 820,000 of the then-approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. had criminal convictions. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have a criminal record. Between the lines: Vance did not directly answer the question of whether the Trump administration would deport the parents of kids who were born U.S. citizens. Instead, he raised the issue of the tens of thousands of kids who cross the border without their parents who the U.S. government has lost contact with. "The real family separation policy in this country is, unfortunately, Kamala Harris is wide open southern border," Vance said. What they're saying: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz focused his answer on a bipartisan border deal in the Senate, which was tanked by Republicans at Trump's urging earlier this year. He also touted the Biden-Harris administration's efforts tackling the opioid crisis. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.