Trump says the U.S. is ‘like a garbage can for the world’ as he dials up immigration rhetoric

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States is “like a garbage can” for the rest of the world because of its border policies during an immigration-focused rally in Tempe, Ariz., less than two weeks out from Election Day.

“They unleashed an army and of migrant gangs waging a campaign of violence,” said Trump, who regularly employs dehumanizing language when talking about undocumented immigrants. “We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world.”

Immigration has been a major focus for Trump throughout the campaign, highlighting on stories about undocumented immigrants committing crimes and blaming them for a surge in violence. 

That rhetoric comes even as border crossings are at the lowest levels since President Joe Biden took office in 2020. In September, Border Patrol agents made under 54,000 apprehensions of immigrants attempting to cross the U.S. in September, the lowest levels since August 2020, when Trump was still in the White House.

In battleground Arizona on Thursday, Trump also repeated his promise to end sanctuary cities, his call for the death penalty if an undocumented immigrant kills a U.S. citizen, his plan to ask Congress for 10,000 new border patrol agents, and his pledge to resurrect his so-called “stay in Mexico” policy, which required migrants to remain in Mexico while awaiting asylum hearings. Biden’s administration ended the policy.

“You got millions of people pouring in,” Trump said. “And we are just not going to let it all happen.”

Trump also continued escalating his rhetoric against Vice President Kamala Harris, who he has increasingly referred to as “stupid” as he’s turned focus to her intellect.

“And in yet another incoherent train wreck of a television interview yesterday, Kamala Harris states, once again, that she opposes any plan to send her illegal aliens back home,” Trump said. “She’s a low IQ individual.”

During a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania Wednesday, Harris responded to a questions about immigration by saying Trump “didn’t do much of anything,” and that she wants to allow for legal immigration, but “people have to earn it.”

When pressed, she also reiterated her support for a bipartisan piece of legislation that includes $650 million for a border wall, something she had previously criticized.

“We need a president who is grounded in common sense and practical outcomes,” Harris said. “Like, let’s just fix this thing.”

Arizona is among a handful of swing states expected to ultimately determine the race between Trump and Harris. Early in-person voting began in the state earlier this month, which has drawn visits from both Trump and Harris.

Recent public polling has show Trump with a slight advantage in the state, but within the margin of error.