ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Many voters say immigration is one of their top issues in this election. Former President Trump says, if he wins, there will be mass deportations. Vice President Harris says, if she becomes president, she'll continue the border crackdowns that President Biden started.
To get the view from the border, NPR immigration correspondent Sergio Martínez-Beltrán joins us from Eagle Pass, Texas. Hi there.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Why did you go to Eagle Pass specifically?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yeah. The reason I wanted to be here is because this border town saw a high number of unauthorized migrants during the Biden administration. And then last year, it became the epicenter of a fight over immigration enforcement between Republican Governor Greg Abbott and President Biden. The images of migrants swimming across the Rio Grande, along with Abbott's strategies to overwhelm other cities by busing migrants there, definitely put a pressure on the Biden administration. And look, regardless of party affiliation, almost everybody agrees that the immigration system in this country is broken and needs some real fixing. And that's why it's been such a hot-button issue for voters this election cycle.
SHAPIRO: So tell us about what you're hearing from people there along the border and about where you've been.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: So I went to Piedras Negras, Mexico, which is right across from Eagle Pass, to talk to migrants wanting to come to the U.S. Almost everyone I talked to, Ari, is paying attention to the election big time. And they're anxious. They see the U.S. election having a direct impact on their lives, even though they're not here yet.
At a shelter in Piedras Negras, I talked to Jessica Lopez from Ecuador.
JESSICA LOPEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Lopez says that, like all the immigrants, she wants La Senora - AKA Vice President Harris - to win, because she and others believe Harris will support their asylum claims. But Harris has vowed to keep a ban on most asylum claims at the border if she were to win. Still, they don't see Harris as Trump, who has vilified immigrants and promised to deport millions of people.
SHAPIRO: What are you hearing from migrants currently stuck in Mexico about how the election results would influence their next steps?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: So I asked about this. I talked to Frank Valencia, and he's from Venezuela. He's been in Piedras Negras for eight days. Here's what he said.
FRANK VALENCIA: (Speaking Spanish).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: He says he's planning to swim across the Rio Grande and ask for asylum. He hasn't done it because he's waiting to see what happens with the election.
VALENCIA: (Speaking Spanish).
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Valencia says that, if Trump wins, he might not attempt to cross into the U.S. He says migrants might go back to Mexico or their home countries. But we know, Ari, that migrants from South America and Central America are making their way up north regardless. Instability in countries like Venezuela, for instance, and even across other continents continues to push people into making the dangerous trek.
SHAPIRO: Well, while Trump promises a deportation force, the Biden administration has also implemented some restrictive policies that Harris supports. Do the people you're talking to have concerns about what a Harris administration would mean for them?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. You know, the reason why so many migrants are no longer able to claim asylum at the southern U.S. border is because of a policy Biden implemented in June that bans most asylum claims. And that's a similar policy Trump implemented twice, including to ban travel from certain countries. So a Harris win could mean as many restrictions at the southern border as Trump's.
SHAPIRO: That is NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán. Thank you very much.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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