JD Vance: More development, fewer undocumented immigrants are needed in Nevada | Nevada | News

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance said at a rally in Las Vegas that a Trump-Vance administration would solve Nevada's housing crisis by deporting illegal immigrants and building “billions of new homes.”

“We want American homes to go to American citizens,” Vance told several hundred people during a morning rally at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.

The lack of affordable housing is a top issue for Nevadans, and with less than two weeks remaining until the Nov. 5 election, campaigners have been scrambling to make their plans known.

Vance told the crowd that a Trump-Vance administration would build “billions of new homes” by expanding oil production to reduce costs. He said the administration would stop “ridiculous regulations” that make it harder for developers to build homes and open more Nevada land to home building in a responsible way.

“It doesn’t matter how many houses you build, my friends,” he said. “If you let in billions and billions of illegal immigrants who shouldn’t be here, we won’t have enough houses for our people.”

He said Nevada has a shortage of about 70,000 affordable housing units. Families should be able to get affordable housing but can't because of Harris' policies, Vance said.

Vance said he believes illegal immigration is the biggest driver of unaffordable housing. His and Trump's approach is “American homes for American citizens,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

A significant part of the administration's housing plans concerns immigration, an issue that the Trump campaign prioritized during the election campaign.

Vance said thousands of children who are children of illegal immigrants are in Nevada's public schools, forcing teachers to “focus on kids who don't even speak English” and shortchanging Nevada's children, he said he.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are an estimated 168,000 illegal people living in Nevada. Around 9,000 children attend public school. 59 percent have no access to health insurance and 32 percent are homeowners.

“We are making our own citizens poorer, less safe, less healthy and less wealthy because Kamala Harris cares more about illegal immigrants than she does about the citizens of the state of Nevada,” Vance said.

Vance's message resonates with some voters. Polls show immigration is a top issue for Nevada voters, and the Trump campaign has made the issue the No. 1 talking point in the campaign.

Las Vegas resident Sandie Hernandez said illegal immigrants are “taking over.”

“The border is killing us, and we're just tired of people coming across the border who aren't citizens and they get everything,” Hernandez said.

Harris for President Nevada press secretary Amahree Archie issued a statement before Vance's visit saying that neither Vance nor Donald Trump had the interests of working families at heart.

“Their Project 2025 agenda would increase costs for typical families by nearly $4,000 per year, cost the U.S. over 3 million jobs and allow employers to stop paying many workers overtime, all while giving his billionaire donors Tax relief granted,” Archie’s statement reads. “To protect workers and families in Nevada, we must unite to elect Vice President Harris, who will not only repeal taxes on tips, but go further by raising the minimum wage and taking on corporate landlords “To reduce housing costs across the state.”

Leading the way in early voting

At the rally, Republicans in Nevada expressed excitement about leading in early voter turnout by 35,000 votes, a change from previous elections where Democrats previously led. Democratic voters are leading the way in returning mail-in ballots.

“I can’t tell you how important it is that we get a head start on early voting,” said Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown. Republicans can't allow a repeat of what happened in 2022, when there wasn't really a red wave in Nevada because they didn't vote, Brown said.

State Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald said he has never voted early but will vote early tomorrow for the first time in his life to make sure his vote counts. McDonald, who played a key role in trying to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 election results, continued to reference claims of a fraudulent election.

“You can only cheat so much,” McDonald said.

Vance also expressed confidence that Nevada would be a loss for Trump. He urged supporters to tell others why they are voting for Trump and to visit the website swampthevoteusa.com.

“I don’t just want to win, I want to win by a margin big enough that we go to bed early on Tuesday night,” he said.

Vance said Republicans typically vote on Election Day, but this year they have a chance to go into Election Day with a lead by voting by any means possible, whether it's early voting, mail-in voting or on Election Day.

“You don’t have to love everything about our electoral system,” he said. “I don't, but we have to play the game by the rules we've been given, and if we do that, my friends, we will win.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Jessica Hill at [email protected]. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X>