Washington DC - A former White House staffer has accused Donald Trump and Republicans of using the pain from the opioid crisis to villainize immigrants.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Gil Kerlikowske – who served as head of the Customs and Border Protection and White House chief of national drug control policy – argued that Trump has knowingly been pushing false narratives about immigrants.

"I think they've taken exploitation to a new level with fentanyl," Kerlikowske explained.

"They know that this is terribly misleading, but it resonates so well with people who have lost a loved one or people whose children are addicted."

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In 2016, Trump gained a reputation for his harsh immigration rhetoric, infamously stating that Mexico is sending rapists and murderers over the border.

As he runs for re-election, Trump has remained focused on the issue, pushing the narrative that the border policies of President Joe Biden's administration have allowed an "invasion" of immigrants, causing rates of crime and drug use to rise.

A recent poll found that 60% of Republicans believed fentanyl was being smuggled by immigrants, despite the fact that 89% of convicted traffickers were actually US citizens.

Trump has also vowed that on day one of his presidency, he will initiate the largest deportation effort in American history.