RALEIGH, N.C. -- A rallying cry heard throughout the 2016 presidential campaign from then candidate Donald Trump was that he wanted to “build the wall”.  Four years later, this issue of immigration, especially at the southern border, remains a top issue for Republicans.

This week during the Republican National Convention, in an unprecedented live naturalization ceremony during the program, President Trump reiterated his hope to improve the immigration process in the country.

“You followed the rules, you obeyed the laws, you learned your history and our values, and proved yourself to be men and women of the highest integrity,” Trump told the newly naturalized citizens.

Immigrants can be found in states across the country, but nowhere is their presence more apparent than at our southern border.

Mayra Flores is a Republican activist who lives in Hidalgo County, which sits at the U.S./Mexico border.  She was born in Mexico, but came to the United States at age six with her father who's an American citizen.  Most of her family remains in Mexico today.

“My grandparents live in Mexico,” Flores says.  “It's been about a year since I have been there, but before that it had been 10 years. Because I was afraid to go. And my sister got married, so I had no choice. And we got home safe. It is weird to be scared visiting family members back home.”

That issue of safety is why Flores says she supports the completion of a southern border wall and legal immigration reform.

“But the process is very difficult and it does take a long time,” she says.  “We do have to hire more judges, more immigration judges for this process to be faster. But there is not even a focus on this process.  In my opinion it is outdated, and if we want to fix the problem we do need to invest in legal immigration.”

The statistic shows how big the problem is.

As of August 2020, there have been 298,238 apprehensions at the southern border. In 2019, there were 851,508 apprehensions at the southern border.

For Flores, she says she believes this should be a top election issue every year until it is solved.

“Here in South Texas we are hurting,” Flores says.   “Because of illegal immigration. Child trafficking. Human trafficking.”