Members of the U.S. military patrol the banks of the Rio Grande as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on May 8, 2023.

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Henrika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images

During Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance eschewed bombastic, untrue claims that immigrants would eat people’s pets and instead tackled issues such as the impact of immigrants on the wages of U.S.-born workers .

“You’re making it harder for illegal aliens to undermine the wages of American workers,” he vowed. “Many people go home if they cannot work for less than the minimum wage in their own country. And that will be very good for our employees, who simply want to earn a fair wage for a good day’s work.”

Most labor economists disagree with the claim that immigrants depress the wages of native workers.

Vance carefully dodged questions about family separation, a policy that caused a stir during former President Donald Trump’s administration. He falsely claimed that guns are being smuggled across the border with Mexico into the US the other way around), and spoke about immigrants as responsible for the housing crisis – a complex issue that even conservative analysts For example, the current wave of migration already existed, but has been exacerbated by it.

Both candidates talked about fentanyl in relation to immigration, which remains a widespread myth: Fentanyl is overwhelming brought into the US by people crossing legally at ports of entry. So is the street supply of fentanyl dry up.

Video credit: CBS News Vice Presidential Debate.

Vice presidential candidate-governor Tim Walz, for his part, reminded debate viewers of the bipartisan bill that would have strengthened border enforcement. It was killed at Trump’s insistence, and Walz reiterated the Democratic vow that Kamala Harris, if elected, will sign it “on her first day in office.”

Video credit: CBS News Vice Presidential Debate.

Immigration is one of voters’ top concerns and is seen as a weak spot for Democrats, who have joined forces in response. During her recent trip to the Arizona border, Harrris vowed to “set and enforce rules at our border, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”

Still, Walz was repeatedly critical of the Republican campaign’s rhetoric on immigration during Tuesday’s debate. He criticized Vance for the way he spoke about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

“When it becomes a topic of conversation like this, we dehumanize and vilify other people,” he said.

Vance didn’t repeat it the false rumors he helped reinforce earlier this month about Haitian immigrants eating dogs and cats.

“The people I’m most concerned about in Springfield, Ohio are American citizens,” Vance responded.