On the second day of their 2024 convention, Republicans put a spotlight on immigration and crime, often relying on dubious or misleading statistics. Here are 12 claims that caught our attention. As is our practice, we do not award Pinocchios for a roundup of statements made during convention events.
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“They’ve emboldened drug cartels to flood our streets with fentanyl, killing over 100,000 Americans every year.”
— Eric Hovde, Wisconsin GOP candidate for Senate
This claim lacks context. Under President Biden, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics, overall drug seizures have dropped, especially for marijuana, but until this year increased substantially for fentanyl — the drug most responsible for overdose deaths. Both the decrease in marijuana seizures and the increase in fentanyl seizures reflect trends that started under President Donald Trump.
Most drugs come into the United States across the southern border with Mexico. But a wall does not limit this illegal trade, as much of it travels through legal borders or in tunnels unaffected by visible physical barriers. Even if a wall could curb drug trafficking, it would have a minimal impact on the death toll from drug abuse. As president, Trump often touted how much seizures of drugs at the southern border had increased on his watch. This is an imperfect metric. It could mean that law enforcement is doing a better job. But more seizures also might indicate that the drug flow has increased, and that law enforcement is missing even more.
The amount of fentanyl seized at the border increased under both Biden and Trump, though so far the amount jumped by a larger percentage under Trump, CBP statistics show. In Trump’s four fiscal years, the number of pounds increased 586 percent, compared with 462 percent in the first three fiscal years under Biden.
The amount of fentanyl seized by border officials increased from almost 4,800 pounds seized in fiscal 2020 to roughly 27,000 pounds in fiscal 2023. There were about 700 pounds of fentanyl seized in fiscal 2016, the last full fiscal cycle before Trump took office.
Annual overdoses deaths began to exceed 100,000 on a 12-month basis in June 2021, though the numbers have begun to drop in the past year.
Follow live updates from Day 3 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Catch up on highlights from the second night, where Nikki Haley called for unity and endorsed Donald Trump.
Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter.
“They’ve emboldened drug cartels to flood our streets with fentanyl, killing over 100,000 Americans every year.”
— Eric Hovde, Wisconsin GOP candidate for Senate
This claim lacks context. Under President Biden, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics, overall drug seizures have dropped, especially for marijuana, but until this year increased substantially for fentanyl — the drug most responsible for overdose deaths. Both the decrease in marijuana seizures and the increase in fentanyl seizures reflect trends that started under President Donald Trump.
Most drugs come into the United States across the southern border with Mexico. But a wall does not limit this illegal trade, as much of it travels through legal borders or in tunnels unaffected by visible physical barriers. Even if a wall could curb drug trafficking, it would have a minimal impact on the death toll from drug abuse. As president, Trump often touted how much seizures of drugs at the southern border had increased on his watch. This is an imperfect metric. It could mean that law enforcement is doing a better job. But more seizures also might indicate that the drug flow has increased, and that law enforcement is missing even more.
The amount of fentanyl seized at the border increased under both Biden and Trump, though so far the amount jumped by a larger percentage under Trump, CBP statistics show. In Trump’s four fiscal years, the number of pounds increased 586 percent, compared with 462 percent in the first three fiscal years under Biden.
The amount of fentanyl seized by border officials increased from almost 4,800 pounds seized in fiscal 2020 to roughly 27,000 pounds in fiscal 2023. There were about 700 pounds of fentanyl seized in fiscal 2016, the last full fiscal cycle before Trump took office.
Annual overdoses deaths began to exceed 100,000 on a 12-month basis in June 2021, though the numbers have begun to drop in the past year.
Follow live updates from Day 3 of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Catch up on highlights from the second night, where Nikki Haley called for unity and endorsed Donald Trump.