RNC opens Day 2 as focus shifts to immigration, crime and even Babydog

July 16 (UPI) -- The Republican National Convention opened its second day in Milwaukee on Tuesday as the focus turned to immigration , crime and a long list of notable speakers.

Tuesday's theme shifts to "Make America Safe Once Again," one day after former President Donald Trump officially won the nomination , made his first public appearance since Saturday's assassination attempt and announced Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate amid GOP enthusiasm on the convention floor.

Immigration and border security, which top Trump's agenda as he blames undocumented migrants for a surge in crime and fentanyl deaths in the United States, will be headlined Tuesday as families impacted by violent crime give speeches. The speeches will come just hours after a man swinging knives near police earlier Tuesday was shot dead outside of Fiserv Forum, where the convention is being held.

Among Tuesday's notable speakers are former Trump rival Nikki Haley , who was added to the agenda on Sunday after the assassination attempt on Trump. She is scheduled to speak shortly after 8 p.m. CT. Last week, the former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor was not planning to attend the convention as she released her 97 delegates and urged them to vote for Trump.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , who was one of Trump's top contenders for vice president, will close out Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. He is scheduled to speak sometime after 9:30 p.m. CT.

Other notable speakers will include former Trump rival Vivek Ramaswamy, who is expected to make a pitch to Gen Z voters; House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana; New York Rep. Elise Stefanik; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot during a 2017 Congressional Baseball Game practice session.

On Tuesday, Scalise called for U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to step down after last weekend's assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, where he was shot in the ear and a supporter was killed. Cheatle told ABC News in an interview that she does not plan to resign, but said "the buck stops with me."

In line with Tuesday's focus on immigration, Trump has vowed to mount the "largest deportation effort in American history" if elected, as Republicans criticize President Joe Biden 's handling of the southern border during his administration.

Since Biden's executive order last month to turn away asylum requests after daily thresholds of 2,500 migrant encounters, arrests of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. southern border dropped nearly 30%, according to new data released Monday by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. There were 83,536 arrests between ports of entry last month, a decline of 29% from May and the lowest monthly total since January 2021.

"A majority of Americans want mass deportations for illegal immigrants," Trump National Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt claimed in a statement. "On Day One back in the White House, President Trump will begin the largest criminal deportation operation of illegal immigrants and restore the rule of law."

"There is no logistical way to track down 10 to 12 million undocumented immigrants with the ICE employees they currently have," countered Abigail Andrews, who has been studying deportation data for 10 years and is a professor of urban studies and planning at the University of California, San Diego.

The cost of detaining, housing and transporting millions of deportees, "would be astronomical," Andrews added, as Trump officials argued deportation would save the rising costs of education and health care for undocumented communities.

Not all of Tuesday's convention-related topics were so serious.

At one point in the afternoon, West Virginia and Congressional candidate Gov. Jim Justice took the stage with his English bulldog "Babydog" and praised former President Donald Trump as the dog sat in a chair nearby. According to a report by CNN, Justice said Babydog predicts Republicans will retain the House majority and even flip the Senate and "overwhelmingly we're going to elect Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance in November."

Earlier in the day, Trump met with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss foreign policy and Ukraine.

"Great to meet President Trump who is in top form after the shameful attempt on his life," Johnson said in a statement after the meeting. "We discussed Ukraine and I have no doubt that he will be strong and decisive in supporting that country and defending democracy."

"Nice meeting with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a very fine guy!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.