Former President Donald Trump is intensifying his campaign rhetoric by linking the surge of illegal immigrants to job competition for Black and Hispanic Americans. He argues that the influx of “newcomers” under President Biden’s administration is not only a safety risk, but also a significant obstacle to employment opportunities for minority communities.

Trump’s claim has become a recurring theme in his campaign speeches. At a recent rally in Detroit, a city with a significant Black population crucial to Biden’s chances in Michigan, Trump emphasized, “The people coming across the border — all those millions of people — they’re inflicting tremendous harm to our Black population and to our Hispanic population.”

Democrats counter Trump’s assertions, labeling them as incorrect and offensive. They highlight the strong performance of the economy, which has surpassed predictions, with unemployment at 4% in May. They argue that the overall economic health disproves Trump’s claims.

Steven A. Camarota, a demographer at the Center for Immigration Studies, supports Trump’s position, stating that both legal and illegal immigrants typically compete with less-educated Americans for jobs. “The immigrants are the big beneficiaries, but the losers tend to be Americans at the bottom end of the labor market, and African Americans are disproportionately at the bottom end,” he said.

The House Budget Committee recently released a report indicating that immigrants, both legal and illegal, have filled half the jobs created since October. Camarota added that since 2019, the number of foreign-born workers has grown by 3 million, compared to only a 1 million increase in native-born workers.

This message will likely resonate with Black and Hispanic voters. According to 2020 exit polls, Biden won Black voters by 87% to 12% over Trump, an improvement for Trump from 2016. However, any decline in support among Black voters is concerning for Democrats, as polls show Biden trailing his 2020 performance.