Donald Trump pledged yesterday, Sunday, to hire 10,000 border guards if he is elected US president as he steps up his attacks on Kamala Harris over immigration. At a campaign rally in Arizona, the Republican presidential candidate also said he would ask Congress to fund a 10 percent pay raise for border patrol agents.

Flanked by Border Patrol unionists, who have voiced their support for Trump ahead of the November 5 election, the former president said he would ensure that conditions are created to “hire and retain the Border Patrol agents we need.”

Illegal immigration is one of the burning issues of the campaign and, according to polls, Trump is seen by a majority of voters as best suited to tackle it.

He also advocated for tighter restrictions on asylum and promised to make the issue of dealing with the illegal entry of fentanyl (a synthetic opioid that has caused thousands of deaths) into the country a “top priority.”

On Friday, Trump called for the death penalty for “any illegal immigrant” who kills an American citizen. In recent weeks, he has stepped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric.