The Republican Party's nominee for president in the US election, Donald Trump, has spoken about Tijuana several times in his campaign speeches, mentioning it especially when it comes to immigration policies.

In the last few days, Trump claimed that during his term Tijuana became "the fastest-growing town in the history of the world" a statement that surprised many and was received skeptically by experts and social media users.

Tijuana has experienced significant growth in the last few years, however, official data does not back up Trump's claim. Though the city has been a key spot for immigrants who want to cross into the United States, analysts say that there is no record of extraordinary economic or urban development compared to other cities in the world, as stated by the Republican candidate.

Regarding the immigration issue, Trump insisted that his priority is that people enter the country legally through the border.

"We don't want murderers or drug dealers, we don't want them to open their prisons. But every day they're stealing innocent lives on both sides of the border," he said, while reaffirming his hard approach of strengthening the border and carrying out a "mass deportation" of illegal immigrants living in the United States.

Tijuana not a good place for a little family trip: Donald Trump

This is not Donald Trump's first comment regarding Tijuana during his presidential campaign. In January of this year, the former president also said that the city was not a "lovely" place to visit.

"So we have a policy 'Remain in Mexico.' We had hundreds of thousands of people in Tijuana, this was not a lovely place at that point, this was not a good place to take the family for a little trip, it was rough stuff, but you know what? They weren't in our country and we do it right. We had such a great system," the candidate said.

During a rally that took place in September, Trump reiterated in his speech the importance of border control and keeping immigrants out of the country until they fulfill the legal requirements to enter, mentioning Tijuana once again.

Migrant crisis and threats to Mexico during Donald Trump's campaign

The Republican candidate has threatened and made comments regarding Mexico as part of his campaign’s main topic for the 2024 elections. Trump has spoken about migration, organized criminal cartels, and commercial relations with Mexico as key issues to position himself as a "tough" leader when it comes to foreign policy.

On Monday, at a rally in North Carolina, Trump threatened Mexico once again. If he wins the elections, he claimed, he would speak with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

"If they don't stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I'm going to immediately impose a 25 percent tariff on everything they send into the United States of America," he said. This type of speech, mixing economic threats with an aggressive tone towards migration, has been recurring rhetoric during his campaign.

Trump promised to establish a mass deportation program, which would begin with one million people. He also strongly criticized the Biden administration's policies, saying that Kamala Harris has not been able to stop migration.

Trump has also spoken many times about renegotiating the Agreement between the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA). According to him, this issue must be addressed urgently to face the "threat" represented by the presence of China in the North American auto market. "I will formally notify Mexico and Canada my intention of invoking the renegotiation clause," he warned.

Trump's speech, noted for its economic threats and radical approach to immigration and fighting cartels, has been a constant during his campaign, strengthening his image of wanting to impose his will to defend what he considers the United States' interests against Mexico.

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