CBS News is verifying some of the claims made by speakers during the 2024 Republican National Convention, which runs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through Thursday, July 18. On Wednesday, the third day of the RNCVice presidential candidate JD Vance addressed the convention.
The theme of Wednesday’s convention was foreign policy, with many speakers criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of national security and arguing that the nation would be stronger if former President Donald Trump were elected. Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as Donald Jr.’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and daughter Kai, spoke at the convention; conservative commentator Tucker Carlson also spoke.
Monday Theme it was the economy, so many of the statements that were checked relate to U.S. economic concerns, and Tuesday focused on security and law enforcement.
CBS News covers the RNC live.
Fact-checking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s claim that 11 million immigrants have crossed the southern border: Misleading
Texas Governor Greg Abbott: “Below [Biden’s] “Look, about 11 million immigrants have crossed our border illegally.”
Details: Nationally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported about 10 million encounters with migrants since 2021. But that number doesn’t represent individual people, because some migrants cross the border multiple times. And not all migrants whose cases are processed are allowed to remain in the United States. Under Biden, the United States has carried out more than 4 million deportations, expulsions and returns of migrants since the start of fiscal year 2021, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.
Some migrants have evaded capture. The exact number is not known, but an official estimate from the U.S. Border Patrol obtained by Fox News indicates that it could be around 1.7 million migrants since fiscal year 2021.
Sen. Ted Cruz made a similar statement Tuesday, the second day of the convention.
By Laura Doan
Fact-checking Abbott’s claim that under Trump, the US had the lowest rate of illegal border crossings in four decades: It’s true, but not for every year of his presidency
Governor Greg Abbott: “Under President Trump, we have seen the lowest number of illegal border crossings in nearly four decades.”
Details: In 2017, the annual number of apprehensions at the southern border hit a 46-year low, according to U.S. Border Patrol data. That was the lowest number since 1971.
But in 2019, the number of apprehensions at the southern border reached more than 850,000, the highest level in more than a decade. In 2020, the year Trump left office, illegal immigration levels were higher than when he took office.
By Laura Doan and Alexander Hunter
Fact-checking Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance’s claim that China and cartels are shipping fentanyl across the U.S. border: It’s true, but it needs to be put in context
Senator JD Vance: “China and cartels have been shipping fentanyl across the border, adding addiction to the heartache.”
Details:Mexican cartels are the primary source of finished fentanyl that is distributed in the United States, with China serving as the main supplier of precursor chemicals and pill presses that the cartels use to produce the drug, according to a 2024 report from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This is not a new problem, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and its modified forms have been responsible for a sharp increase in overdose deaths since around 2016. Their most recent report shows a slight decrease in deaths from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, in 2023.
It is also worth noting that in 2023, 86.4% of those convicted of fentanyl trafficking were U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
By Emma Li and Laura Doan
