Inside Story

US election 2016: Immigration may decide the winner

Donald Trump has called Mexicans “rapists” and “drug dealers” while Hillary Clinton has promised to reform immigration.

Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s plans for immigration couldn’t be more different.

Trump has called for a wall to be built on the country’s southern border with Mexico, while Clinton has talked about “open borders”, making immigration a key issue in this year’s US presidential election.

Latino voters, who have faced a series of disparaging remarks from Trump, are expected to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday with their numbers having spiked during early voting these past few weeks.

They normally vote Democrat – and this year is no exception.

Polls suggest Trump is expected to get fewer Latino votes than any other Republican candidate in 35 years.

So why has immigration played such a key role in this year’s US election campaign?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Ana Maria Salazar Slack – Political analyst specialising in Latin America, and a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence for drug enforcement policy.

Kiron Skinner – Republican strategist and associate professor of international relations at Carnegie Melon University.

William A Stock – Immigration lawyer.