Washington DC - As the 2024 presidential election looms, the candidates' stances on migration and border policy are coming under the spotlight.

Immigration and the border has become a key election issue as candidates vie for a seat in the Oval Office.

Generations of US and Western colonialism and intervention, as well as natural disasters fueled by the global climate emergency, have forced many people to flee their homes in hopes of safety and a better life.

The right to seek asylum is internationally recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Refugee Convention of 1951, and domestically in the Refugee Act of 1980.

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Nevertheless, the US has seen a massive crackdown on asylum rights in recent years, while many people residing in the US are still fighting for temporary protections as well as permanent residency and a pathway to citizenship. At the same time, racial profiling and the increased militarization of law enforcement in the borderlands has left many community members feeling less safe, regardless of citizenship status.

Activists and international experts have described the US' systematic denial of asylum rights and inhumane treatment of people at the border as a human rights crisis, calling for comprehensive reforms to end rampant abuses.

As the November election approaches, here is where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on immigration and border policy.

Looking for more 2024 election coverage? Compare what the candidates have to say about other key issues:

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• Abortion and reproductive rights
• Climate and environmental justice

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has said she plans to enact a bipartisan border policy bill jettisoned in Congress earlier this year. The legislation would send even more law enforcement to the borderlands and increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity.

Harris, the daughter of immigrant parents, has insisted that so-called "border security" may go hand in hand with creating a pathway to citizenship for migrants residing in the US. She has expressed support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now under threat.

With Harris as vice president, the Biden administration has taken steps to fast-track border wall construction and allow the president to shut down the border to people seeking asylum, echoing a similar policy instituted by Donald Trump in 2018. The Trump asylum ban was ultimately struck down in court.

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Since launching her 2024 White House bid, the Democratic nominee has sought to present a tough-on-migration image by highlighting her career in law enforcement.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has made anti-immigrant rhetoric and harsh border policy a cornerstone of his 2024 bid for the White House.

If reelected, Trump has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in US history and to hire 10,000 more border patrol agents and give them a $10,000 retention and signing bonus.

Trump, who received the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council, has accused migrants of "poisoning the blood of our country." He and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, have faced widespread backlash for their racist lies about Haitian migrants, falsely suggesting they were eating people's pets, which have endangered people of Haitian descent.

During his first term as president, Trump unsuccessfully sought to end the DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs. He also in 2017 declared a travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.

In a second term, the Republican nominee has vowed to restore and expand the travel ban, complete the border wall, and end federal funding for sanctuary cities.

Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein supports addressing the root causes of migration across the Southern border, which include US intervention and destabilization, the war on drugs, harmful sanctions, and continued environmental destruction.

Stein wants to end the criminalization of asylum, grant amnesty to every undocumented person in the US, expand services for refugees, and create a legal pathway to citizenship for immigrants.

She advocates abolishing ICE and establishing an Office of Citizenship, Refugees, and Immigration Services under the Department of Labor.

During a recent visit to Texas, Stein described the border wall as a "disaster" created and advanced by both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Party for Socialism and Liberation presidential candidate Claudia De la Cruz and her running mate, Karina Garcia, were both born to immigrant parents.

The socialist ticket opposes the capitalist and imperialist forces that destabilize other countries, drive the global climate crisis, and force people to migrate. They also stand against the mass incarceration and torture of migrants.

Their campaign, instead, calls for comprehensive immigration reform in accordance with international law and the extension of citizenship rights to every person living in the US.

Independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West supports abolishing ICE, protecting asylum rights, and streamlining processes for obtaining citizenship, permanent residency, and work visas.

West opposes family separations and detention of children under cruel conditions.

He has vowed to expand dialogue and cooperation with leaders in Latin American countries, while acknowledging US responsibility for many of the conditions driving migration patterns today.

Libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver wants to simplify processing procedures at ports of entry, enabling immigrants to obtain visas within a matter of days.

Oliver has called for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents, DACA-eligible residents, and the children of foreign workers admitted on temporary work visas.

He also aims to expand the H1B visa and startup visa in order to boost American innovation.

The general election for president takes place on November 5, 2024, with early voting already underway in some states.