White women victims are at the center of RNC anti-immigrant message

Republicans doubled down on spreading fear about immigrants on the second night of their nominating convention, highlighting killings of White women that immigrant men have been charged in as the party makes the case for massive deportations and restrictions on new immigration.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, in a speech Tuesday night themed around safety, spoke of several White women whose deaths in recent years have been linked to immigrant men — Kate Steinle , Laken Riley and Rachel Morin .

“They’re our daughters, our sisters, our friends,” he said.

The Republican nominee for Senate in Pennsylvania, Dave McCormick, pointed directly at immigrants who are in the country without authorization: “Illegal immigrants have victimized innocent young women who easily could be your daughter or mine,” he said.

Republicans have increasingly highlighted these deaths as they try to connect immigration to crime, despite research that shows immigration is associated with lower crime rates . There is a long history of White women being framed as victims of crimes allegedly committed by men of color.

The family of Morin, a Maryland woman who was killed last August while jogging, appeared on the convention stage.

Michael Morin described his sister as “a joyful, accomplished athlete and mother of five.” A man who authorities say entered the country undocumented was charged last month in her death .

“Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous. But there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother,” he said.

The death of Riley, a Georgia woman who was also killed while jogging, has spurred proposed state legislation that would require authorities to verify the immigration status of someone who has been arrested or is suspected of having committed a crime. A separate federal proposal would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants who have been accused of burglary or theft. A man who immigrated from Venezuela has pleaded not guilty to several charges including murder; he had reportedly been charged with crimes before Riley’s death and released.

Cruz also noted the death of Jocelyn Nungaray , a 12-year-old girl whose body was found last month in a creek in the Houston area. Two immigrant men have been charged with murder in the death. Authorities say the girl was strangled.

“It happened because Democrats decided they wanted votes from illegals more than they wanted to protect our children,” he said, combining false claims that Democrats are trying to change the rules to allow undocumented immigrants to vote in federal elections and that immigrants who are ineligible to vote are doing so. It is extremely rare .

Polling shows immigration is a top issue going into the election , with Republicans being more likely than Democrats and independents to name the issue as a problem. Former President Donald Trump has campaigned on restricting entry into the country and deporting millions of immigrants . In a CNN poll this month , half of voters said they think Trump would handle the issue of immigration better; 28 percent said President Joe Biden.

A majority of registered voters — 59 percent — said in a Pew Research Center survey released in June that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States. However, that’s a drop from 74 percent four years earlier.

Advocates for immigrants worry the messaging at the RNC will endanger people who appear Latino, irrespective of their legal status. They’re also tracking how it may be used to push for legislation that would require proof of citizenship for people to vote — a proposal that would impact millions of Americans who do not have immediate access to that identification.

Other Republicans who spoke Tuesday tied immigration to the imagery of protecting women.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said we “cannot allow” undocumented immigrants “to harm our citizens, drain our resources or disrupt our elections. We will not allow it.”

Many speakers directly blamed Biden for what they described as the problem of immigration, saying that his policies directly contributed to crime. Rep. Jim Banks, a Senate candidate from Indiana, drew such a contrast.

“If you came here illegally under Joe Biden, you’re going back to where you came from under Donald Trump,” he said.

In a press call earlier Tuesday, immigrant advocacy organizations criticized the messaging.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, noted that the rhetoric has the potential to stoke violence against immigrants. She represents El Paso, where nearly two dozen people, most of them Latinx, were killed in a shooting nearly five years ago at a Walmart.

“They want the American public to fear and loathe immigrants. The language that they use is alarming, and it is the same language and rhetoric that Donald Trump used during his first term,” she said.

Insha Rahman, director of Vera Action , an organization that advocates for immigrant rights, said fear around immigration is being used as a political tool in the 2024 election cycle. Democrats could counter that by changing the narrative, she said. That includes presenting solutions to the country’s immigration system.

“Let’s make sure hardworking immigrants who have been here for years have a path to citizenship. Let’s make sure newly arrived immigrants have work permits that they can contribute to our communities. Let’s make sure our borders are secure. We can fix problems at home by investing in things proven to improve safety in everyone’s quality of life, like good schools, good paying jobs, health care and affordable housing,” she said.

Republicans also spotlighted women as they tried to connect cases of fentanyl access in the country to immigrants.

Anne Fundner spoke about the 2022 death of her teenage son, Weston, after an accidental fentanyl overdose in Southern California.

“Our lives were shattered,” she said. “It was not an overdose, it was a poisoning. His whole future, everything we wanted for him, was stripped away in an instant. And Joe Biden did nothing.”

Her remarks drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

Many in the Republican Party draw distinctions between how people immigrate to the country, as the GOP continues to court immigrants and Latinx voters.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former candidate for president and son of immigrants, said he welcomed legal immigration to the country. But he drew a distinction with undocumented immigrants.

“Our message to illegal immigrants is also this: ‘We will return you to your country of origin. Not because you are bad people, but because you broke the law, and the United States of America was founded on the rule of the law.”

The attempts to appeal to immigrants were reflected in the convention’s speaker lineup. Two of the everyday Americans chosen to speak during the convention on Monday night were two immigrant women, Linda Fornos and Vanessa Faura.

David Sacks, a Silicon Valley investor who immigrated to the United States from South Africa as a child, was also part of the primetime speaker lineup. And Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican lawyer who immigrated to the United States from India, closed out the first night of the convention with a traditional Sikh prayer.