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Battleground state rancher ‘outraged’ by Biden stopping wall construction as migrants pour into US

Battleground state rancher ‘outraged’ by Biden stopping wall construction as migrants pour into US

ARIVACA, Ariz. — An Arizona rancher has seen massive numbers of migrants cross through his ranch, which he blames on not only the ongoing border crisis, but the Biden administration’s refusal to finish Trump-era wall construction. Jim Chilton, with his wife Sue, own a massive cattle ranch which includes land along the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border. When Former President Donald Trump was in office, he built more than 450 miles of border wall, including both new construction and the replacement of prior fencing and other barriers. Some of that construction occurred on the Chilton ranch with plans to keep building. However, when President Biden took office in 2021, construction stopped abruptly. Contracts were canceled and a stretch of land on the Chilton ranch was left either open or with Normandy barriers which are easy to traverse. There has been some construction under the Biden administration, but it has been largely limited to repairs and some small gaps. EX-BORDER PATROL CHIEF RIPS BIDEN ADMIN FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPRESSING INFO ON MIGRANTS WITH POTENTIAL TERROR TIES Chilton is furious. “I am personally outraged that President Biden stopped the wall. The wall works,” Jim Chilton, who spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, told Fox News Digital at his ranch. “It’s 32 feet high, and it’s got a solid five feet of metal on top, extremely hard to get over. Each of these [bollards] have cement inside. And it’s extremely hard to cut it,” he said. “Biden stopped Trump’s wall. Hopefully, in my opinion, Trump gets elected so he can finish the wall and secure the border,” he said. After the administration took office, the crisis at the southern border erupted, with record high apprehensions across the border. Those levels have come down this year, but Chilton says he has tracked over 3,560 suspected illegal immigrants on cameras set up in his ranch. He has caught a large number of them on camera. TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE SHREDS BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ON BORDER CRISIS IN NEW REPORT: ‘ASSAULT ON THE RULE OF LAW’  He says it isn’t the migrants, who turn themselves in to either Border Patrol or a humanitarian group that sets up near the wall gap, that concern him, but those coming in in camouflage and seeking to avoid detection. Backpacks are left on the Mexican side of the wall apparently in preparation for the next group planning to come across. “People are going north in camouflage and carpet shoes. These are serious hombres,” Chilton said “They want to be in the United States without being detected. The Border Patrol rarely catches them. And many of them are packing drugs or other contraband. Some are MS-13 gangsters trying to get into the country. They don’t want to be apprehended.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The dangers for the migrants are severe. In the intense Arizona heat, migrants can quickly get dehydrated, disoriented or fall and hurt themselves — and the vastness of the environment means someone may be unlikely to find them. Chilton, who opposes illegal immigration but doesn’t want people to die on his ranch, has set up a number of taps on the water sources for his cattle, so migrants can get clean water if they reach them and avoid dehydration. Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation and to finish wall construction if re-elected. The Biden administration has said that walls are ineffective, and have promoted a strategy of expanding lawful pathways while implementing “consequences” for illegal entry. While numbers hit record highs in 2023, numbers this year have dropped sharply, with a drop by more than 50% since June when President Biden signed an executive order limiting entries into the U.S. Chilton isn’t too concerned for his own safety, given he knows that most migrants who get deep into the ranch are seeking to avoid detection, but he carries a gun — and drew it when approaching certain areas when he patrolled parts of the ranch with Fox News Digital. Chilton, who has owned the ranch since the early 1990s, accused Biden and Vice President Harris of having “welcomed people to come into the United States, and they’ve done everything possible to make it very desirable.” He pointed to reports of free travel, bank cards, medical care and housing that migrants can get in some parts of the country. “Why aren’t we creating jobs for people here like veterans and bringing in more people that will need jobs? Why are we providing housing for the undocumented when our own people aren’t getting free hotels? I ask the question, why?”

New poll indicates whether Harris or Trump is making gains with younger voters

New poll indicates whether Harris or Trump is making gains with younger voters

A new poll indicates surging support among America’s youngest voters for Vice President Harris in her 2024 showdown against former President Trump. Harris tops Trump by 31 points among people aged 18-29 likely to vote in the presidential election, according to a poll released Tuesday morning by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School. That’s a dramatic switch from Harvard’s survey from this spring, which indicated President Biden topping Trump by just 13 points among likely youth voters. The numbers in Harvard’s spring survey, as well as similar findings in other polls, raised alarms among Democrats, as younger voters have long been a key part of the party’s base.  HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION Biden dropped his re-election bid in July in the wake of a disastrous debate performance against Trump, and Harris instantly enjoyed a wave of enthusiasm and momentum as she replaced her boss atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket. “This poll reveals a significant shift in the overall vibe and preferences of young Americans as the campaign heads into the final stretch,” longtime IOP polling director John Della Volpe said. “Vice President Harris has strengthened the Democratic position among young voters, leading Trump on key issues and personal qualities.” CASH DASH: THIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HOLDS A SUBSTANTIAL FUNDRAISING LEAD  Harris grabs the support of 61% of likely voters aged 18-29, according to the poll, with Trump at 30%. Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver and independent Cornel West each stand at 1% support, with 6% undecided or refusing to answer. The vice president’s lead over Trump exceeds the roughly 25-point victory by Biden over Trump among younger voters, according to a Fox News Voter Analysis of the 2020 presidential election. The latest Fox News national poll, conducted this month, indicated Harris topping Trump by 17 points among voters under age 30. The poll points to a number of factors fueling Harris’ very large margin over Trump. Among them, a significant enthusiasm gap of nearly three-quarters of young Democrats saying they will “definitely” vote, compared to 6-in-10 Republicans, and a jump in Harris’ approval rating as vice president, from 32% in the spring to 44% now. Harris’ favorable rating now stands at plus five points, while Trump’s favorables are 30 points underwater. Also boosting Harris: She outperforms Trump on key issues and personal qualities asked of both major party nominees in the survey. The poll also points to a boost for Harris from social media, highlighting that just over half of young voters questioned “encountering memes about Harris online in the last month, 34% of whom say it positively influenced their opinion. Conversely, 56% have seen memes about Trump, with 26% reporting a negative impact on their perception.” The survey also spotlights a widening gender gap of 30 points, up from 17 points in the spring. “While both men and women are moving toward Harris, the rate of female support eclipses male support,” the poll’s release notes. According to the survey, Harris holds a 53%-36% margin among likely male voters aged 18-29, but her lead surges to 70%-23% among likely female voters. Pointing to his survey’s results, Della Volpe emphasized that “Gen Z and young millennials’ heightened enthusiasm signals a potentially decisive role for the youth vote in 2024.” The survey by the Institute of Politics is Harvard’s 48th Youth Poll. Over the past quarter-century, Harvard University has become a leader in gauging young Americans’ political opinions and voting trends. The latest edition of the poll was conducted Sept. 4-16 with 2,002 people 18-29 nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 2.65 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Absentee voting kicks off in Missouri, North Carolina

Absentee voting kicks off in Missouri, North Carolina

Missouri and North Carolina joined the growing list of states that have started early voting in the 2024 election Tuesday. Here’s everything you need to know about the key races and how to participate. North Carolina last voted for a Democrat president in 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama won the state by 0.3 points, or 14,177 votes. Trump pulled out a convincing 3.7 point win in 2016, but that margin shrank to 1.3 points against Biden in 2020. Late last month, the Fox News Poll had the two 2024 presidential candidates just a point apart from each other, with Democrat nominee Vice President Harris at 49% and GOP nominee former President Trump at 50%. North Carolina is ranked a Toss Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ The state has become more competitive as its population has grown. Over the last full decade, North Carolina added roughly 1.1 million people, the fourth-largest gain among all states. Much of that growth has been in urban and suburban areas like those in solidly blue Mecklenburg and Wake counties. The pandemic brought more wealthy, urban Americans from surrounding states, and there are pockets of college voters as well. Rural areas have experienced some population decline, but they remain a powerful part of the state’s overall vote, and they vote overwhelmingly Republican. Across the states that begin early voting today, there are three competitive U.S. House races in North Carolina: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Missouri. Missouri began absentee voting on Tuesday. Applicants need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 23, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5. Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day. Missouri residents can register to vote online, by mail or in person through Oct. 9. This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for North Carolina. North Carolina began absentee voting for registered voters on Tuesday, having begun sending absentee ballots to military and overseas voters on Friday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to county officials by Nov. 5. Early in-person voting varies by location in North Carolina. Check the state’s website for more information. The last day to vote in-person is Nov. 2. North Carolina residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 11. They can also register in-person during early voting between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.