DURING the 2016 presidential race then-Republican candidate Donald Trump placed the issue of illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America at the centre of his campaign. He vowed to build a "beautiful" wall on the US southern border, deport thousands of illegal immigrants from the country and accused the Democrats of promoting an "open border" with Mexico.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best; they're not sending you," Candidate Trump said on the day he kicked off his 2016 campaign. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Critics accused the former reality television show host of inciting racism and xenophobia at that time. But most pollsters now agree that attacking illegal immigrants helped Candidate Trump win electoral support, especially among white blue-collar workers in key electoral states who delivered him the victory in November.