At a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event at the University of Mississippi Wednesday evening, Vice President JD Vance said the country needs a significant reduction in legal immigration. Vance argued that former President Joe Biden’s immigration stance allowed more immigrants to enter the U.S. than he believes is optimal and that it could destabilize or harm the cohesion of American society.
“My view is, look, there are people who want to come to the United States of America and some of them, I’m sure, can enrich the United States of America by coming here,” Vance said while taking questions from students. “But we’ve got to get our overall numbers way, way down. Too many people have come into the United States of America.”
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Vance argued that legal immigration is “complicated.” He said the influx of undocumented migrants, who entered the U.S. under the Biden Administration, undercuts the wages of American workers and increases the cost of housing.
Vance explained how his wife, second lady Usha Vance, comes from a family of immigrants who settled in the U.S. after immigrating from India in the 1980s.
“I do believe that some immigrants, many immigrants, do in fact, enrich the United States of America. But here’s the problem: we don’t even know how many illegal aliens we have. We don’t even know,” Vance said. “The best guess is probably 25, 30 million people. I’ve heard estimates as high as 50 million. When something like that happens, you’ve got to allow your own society to cohere a little bit, to build a sense of common identity for all the newcomers to assimilate.”
Vance’s estimation of immigrants living in the country has been disputed by multiple sources. The Biden-era Department of Homeland Security estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants living in the country in 2022. The Pew Research Center estimated a record 14 million immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status in 2023.
Remembering Charlie Kirk
Vance also spoke about his late friend and Founder of TPUSA, Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10, calling him a great husband and great father. He also said Kirk was “the most effective person in politics” that he had ever seen.
Vance touched on a conversation he had with Kirk just months before his death.
“I remember one time in particular where Charlie Kirk called me, and guys, he was mad,” Vance said. “It was one, I wouldn’t say the last conversation I had with him, but it was in the last few months of his life. And he called me and he said ‘JD, I’m really worried, I’m really worried that what’s going on in the Middle East right now is gonna lead the United States into a protracted military conflict.’ I’ve never told anybody that — that Charlie was really worried about that in the final months of his life.”
Foreign policy and US military engagement
Vance emphasized that the U.S. should stay out of wars that aren’t necessary and avoid losing American lives in them. He praised Trump’s actions in the Middle East, including diplomatic efforts with the Gaza ceasefire deal, and a U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the same time, the U.S. is increasing military activity against Venezuela and attacking boats that it claims are carrying illegal drugs.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who took over leadership of Turning Point USA, publicly introduced Vance at the Ole Miss event. It was one of her first public appearances in her new role.
