Immigration was top issue in SC GOP presidential primary
In a state more than 1,000 miles from the southern border and with a predominantly white population dominated by Republican voters, immigration was what drew voters to the polls in the First in the South GOP presidential primary.
South Carolina is a state where only 5.3% of the population is foreign born, and 68.9% of the population is white. But when Republican voters went to the polls for the Feb. 24 S.C. GOP presidential primary, the most important issue was immigration, a response which garnered a plurality of respondents in a Reuters exit poll.
This issue was pushed heavily in the run up to the primary by both former Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump, who went on to win the First in the South contest with nearly 60% of the vote.
The former president carried the state in the 2016 and 2020 general elections and also won the 2016 GOP primary as South Carolina has become Trump country. Fighting illegal immigration is a Trump signature issue.
The fervor over fighting illegal immigration and being tougher on migrants coming through the southern border showed up at Trump’s rallies as his supporters often said “the border” was their most important issue in the election.
IMMIGRATION BECAME TOP CAMPAIGN ISSUE AHEAD OF PRIMARY
Leading up to the primary, both Trump and Haley made immigration a tenet of their campaigns in South Carolina.
The messaging was correct as a Reuters exit poll found 37% of voters thought immigration was the top issue, as images of migrants coming to the southern border dominate national news coverage. This was the top issue despite the border being more than 1,000 miles from South Carolina.
Haley’s campaign wasn’t shy about her efforts to curb illegal immigration when she was the state’s top executive. She signed a tough illegal immigration bill that allowed police officers to inquire about a person’s immigration status and required businesses in the state to make sure a person could legally work in the country using a system called E-Verify. A court struck down most of the law, but kept the EVerify system in place.
Haley often touted that system on the campaign trail in South Carolina as she argued she would be stronger on border issues than Trump. During her campaign, Haley called for 25,000 border patrol and ICE agents.
“Let’s go back to the remain in Mexico policy so that nobody steps foot on U.S. soil,” Haley would say on the stump. “And instead of catch and release, we need to go to catch and deport.”
Trump’s campaign had a coordinated effort to push the former president’s anti-illegal immigration message.
State Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, who is running for the U.S. House in the conservative Upstate 3rd Congressional District, even campaigned for Trump sharing a story about his three-year-old goddaughter, Maddie Hines, who was killed by a reckless driver who had been in the country illegally.
“She was a beautiful child. She loved God. She loved music and she loved her family,” Jones said during a Feb. 1 Trump campaign news conference holding back tears.
The driver previously was deported during the Trump administration, but was allowed to stay during the Biden administration.
“I cannot and I will not stand idly by in these dark days while the Biden administration and the Democrats refused to close our southern border and are destroying our country,” Jones said outside of the South Carolina State House.
The crush at the southern border has been portrayed as an invasion by Republican politicians.
“How many more innocent Americans are going to be destroyed and cut short because of the actions of the Biden administration,” Jones said. “He’s destroyed our border. Biden is incompetent and incapable. We must impeach him at the ballot box.”
Gov. Henry McMaster, a longtime Trump supporter, issued an executive order in 2021 to prevent unaccompanied migrant children from being placed in South Carolina. He also signed onto a letter supporting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s right to use razorwire fencing along the southern border, among other measures.
South Carolina itself nor any of its cities consider themselves sanctuaries like Chicago and New York.
U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach, even called for answers when a social media post alleged migrants were being brought to the Myrtle Beach area.
State Attorney General Alan Wilson in January joined a 27-state coalition supporting Texas’ use of barriers on its southern border. Wilson, who is considered a potential 2026 candidate for governor, recently led a 22-state amicus brief in support of Texas’ SB4 immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to detain people they believe crossed the border illegally and allow judges to deport people.
“Every state is a border state, and we’ve seen that with drug gangs that are tied to Mexican cartels operating here in South Carolina,” Wilson said. “Texas is just trying to protect its citizens and those in our state, too.”
The use of the issue by Republicans leans on an “us versus them” strategy to rally supporters, said
Kirk Randazzo, the chairman of the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina.
“The fundamental issue is whenever politicians can come up with a topic that creates an us vs. them mentality, that really sticks with people,” Randazzo said. “They want to be part of the ‘in’ group. They want to be part of us. And they want to be protected from that ‘out’ group, from the them.”
GOP VOTERS IN RED STATE AFRAID OF IMMIGRANTS
Even though the issue is physically far away from South Carolina, psychologically the issue is one that is on the doorsteps for the state’s GOP voters.
In recent years with fentanyl becoming more and more of an issue, politicians in South Carolina have often said every state in the country is a border state.
“I am very afraid for this country with all the illegals that have come in and who they are having come in,” Cindy Simmons, a 67-yearold retired teacher who lives in Myrtle Beach said outside of a Trump rally.
She doesn’t believe the border deal pushed by Biden that was killed because of Trump’s influence would have secured the border.
“I don’t think the bill would have actually helped the border,” Simmons said. “I think all of the things that Trump had in place when he left office needs to get back into place in order to secure that border.”
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said federal lawmakers need pass legislation to help the country’s immigration issues.
Immigration, however, is being used as a political issue to rile up a voting base.
“Immigration has been a place of political resort to really engender anger and emotions,” Mayorkas said in an interview with McClatchy. “But if people look at it fairly and squarely, this nation has prospered because of legal immigration. When we encounter illegal migration, such as to our southern border, it has been a problem that has been in existence for decades. Everyone agrees the system is broken, and we need a solution, and Congress can deliver that solution.”
Much of the fear comes from the repetition of the issue not just from politicians but conservative media outlets, Randazzo said.
“Those talking points have been amplified by right-wing media outlets, in particular Fox News that runs stories about immigration almost whenever possible, Randazzo said.
The same tactic was used during the 2016 campaign with Hillary Clinton’s private email server she used while secretary of state.
“That was the top story that was run over and over and over and exit polling had people indicate that was front and center for them when they voted as well,” Randazzo said. “It’s a similar kind of approach, just a different issue that’s being used now as sort of the key point to resonate with the public.”
But the term illegal is worrisome to Randazzo, as those seeking asylum in the U.S. are allowed to be in the country while their case is reviewed.
“Because of the political rhetoric we’re getting mostly from the Republican party, this word illegal is conjuring up images of violence and drugs and other aspects of criminal activity that really are not attributed to migrants generally speaking,” Randazzo said.
GOP voters who said immigration was their number one issue in the campaign, including some parroting cable news talking points about the border being out of control, and arguing Biden could do more at the border with an executive order.
Some even feared noncitizens would vote in the election.
Bill McRobbie, 62, of Conway, was more blunt about the situation.
“They got to shut the border down,” McRobbie said. “We’re in danger. A lot of people don’t realize how much danger we’re in by letting these people in without a background check.”
Joseph Bustos: 803-771-8450, @JoeBReporter