In a town that sits between two nations, Arnoldo Montiel knows exactly where he stands on immigration.

The 80-year-old has lived in Nogales, on the border between Mexico and the US, virtually all of his life.

He says the issue is one of the main reasons he voted for Donald Trump.

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“These are people who are illegal. They don’t belong in the United States,” he says. “If they need to come in, we welcome them. But they have to be legal.”

Driving towards the border wall that straddles the Arizona town, he says he believes the issue is why Kamala Harris lost the election.

“Why do you think she lost big?” he asks, before answering his own question: “The border and foreign affairs.”

In many ways, Arnoldo’s life has been defined by the border issue, not just because of where he lives, but because of who he loves.

His wife Lupita lived on the Mexican side of the border wall, meaning she had to apply for citizenship.

Like her husband, she supports Trump’s approach to immigration, which the president-elect says will involve mass deportations.

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A picture of someone who died crossing the border is pinned to the fence

She calls President Biden‘s approach “horrible”.

“He just let everybody come in, there’s been crimes, there’s been murder,” she adds, echoing some of Trump’s claims on the issue on the day he told NBC News he would push ahead with mass deportation plans no matter the price.

Lupita says President Biden 'let everyone come' to the US
Image:
Lupita says President Biden ‘let everyone come’ to the US

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For some, like young mother Corinna, the subject is more than a debate, it’s their reality.

She voted for Kamala Harris, with her family a central concern, because she wants her two-year-old daughter to grow up in the US.

Her Mexican husband is currently in the process of applying for American citizenship and she fears that tighter rules around border controls will separate her family.

“I want my family to be together and I want a better future for my daughter,” she said, adding: “I just hope everything works out eventually.”