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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Debates Student Who Claims Biden Managed Border Better Than Trump at Campus Event
A heated exchange unfolds when a college student argues that Joe Biden managed the border better than Donald Trump, claiming illegal immigrants contribute more economically than they take. Charlie Kirk challenges this assertion with stark numbers: 10,000-15,000 people crossing daily, totaling over 3.65 million annually, more than the population of some U.S. states. The debate touches on asylum claims, DNA testing, economic impacts, and the fundamental question of whether American citizens should be prioritized over foreign nationals. Kirk draws a sharp distinction between settlers who built on barren land and immigrants who come to an already-established country, while the student insists the border isn't truly open and that immigration reform should focus on making legal pathways more accessible.
The Opening Claim: Biden Managed the Border Better
During a campus exchange, a student made the controversial claim that Joe Biden managed the border better than his predecessor. When challenged to justify this position, the student pivoted to an economic argument: illegal immigrants, even those without high-level earning skills, contribute more to the economy than they take away. According to the student, these immigrants contribute to fixed expenses like the military and provide more into social benefits than they extract.
The student further argued that concerns about job scarcity stem not from immigration but from systemic issues—specifically, how systems are designed to take advantage of poor working-class Americans. This framing attempted to shift the conversation from border security to economic distribution.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Charlie Kirk redirected the conversation back to concrete data. When asked how many people cross the border daily, the student admitted not having exact numbers but estimated "probably in the thousands." Kirk corrected this estimate with a stark figure: 10,000 to 15,000 people per day.
Breaking down what this means annually, Kirk calculated that this represents a minimum of 3.65 million people per year—a number exceeding the entire population of some U.S. states. He questioned how this massive influx could be characterized as entirely beneficial, pointing to real-world consequences. Kirk invoked the tragic case of Laken Riley, challenging the student to tell her family that unchecked immigration is purely an economic benefit.
The Reality of Border Processing
The debate intensified over what actually happens at the border. Kirk described the current system: individuals arrive at Ciudad Juarez on the other side of El Paso, claim asylum, and are welcomed into the country. According to Kirk, they receive a free ticket to the interior United States, a cell phone, benefits, and a social security number—all despite having broken immigration laws to enter.
Kirk pointed out that DNA testing has been eliminated and that the border essentially operates on an honor system. The student pushed back, claiming that "lots of people are turned away at the border" and that the majority attempting to immigrate legally don't succeed. However, the student couldn't reconcile this claim with Kirk's description of the asylum process.
Who Should Come First?
The conversation reached a philosophical turning point when Kirk posed a fundamental question: shouldn't the entire idea of government be that citizens of a country come before citizens of another country? The student's response that "United States citizens, we are immigrants" prompted Kirk to make an important distinction.
Kirk differentiated between settlers and immigrants. Settlers, he explained, come to barren land and build something new. Immigrants come to a country that's already been built. When the student questioned the characterization of America as "barren" and mentioned Plymouth Rock, Kirk stood by his distinction, highlighting the difference between founding a nation and joining an existing one.
A Fundamental Disagreement
Throughout the exchange, the student maintained that Biden hasn't simply opened the border, insisting that the characterization of unrestricted entry is inaccurate. The student also advocated for immigration reform that would make legal immigration more accessible rather than restricting it further.
Kirk acknowledged the fundamental difference of opinion but maintained his position that American citizens must be prioritized over foreign nationals. He found it striking that someone would justify breaking immigration laws while the country faces significant challenges in serving its own citizens.
The debate ended with the student uncertain about where Kirk was getting his statistics, while Kirk remained confident in his assertion that the Biden administration has effectively eliminated meaningful border enforcement. Both participants held firm to their positions, representing two starkly different visions for American immigration policy.
