WILKES-BARRE, Pa.—More than a thousand miles from the southern U.S. border, the ripple effects of an influx of immigrants into this former coal-mining city could help decide one of the most competitive congressional races in the country next month.
Jim Bognet, a political appointee in the Trump administration and the Republican nominee for this area’s House seat, is making the case that the surge in illegal immigration under President Biden has brought crime and drugs to Pennsylvania’s eighth congressional district.
There is little evidence connecting the issues, according to research from the Federal Reserve and academic studies, though many voters echo similar concerns.