Kamala Harris has vowed to take a tougher stance on illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border as she campaigns for the presidency. During her first visit to the border, Harris promised to go beyond the measures implemented by the Biden administration, including tighter asylum rules and more severe criminal charges for those entering illegally. Speaking in Douglas, Arizona, she emphasized the need for an orderly and secure system while acknowledging that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States.
Harris’s stronger rhetoric comes as she aims to dispel perceptions of a lenient approach to migration and narrow the gap in polling numbers with former President Donald Trump on this critical electoral issue. Although overall polls show Harris and Trump neck and neck, Trump consistently leads when it comes to border security. A recent NBC News poll revealed that Trump enjoys a 21-point advantage among voters on this topic.
Under President Joe Biden, there was a significant increase in people crossing the southern border last December. However, apprehensions have since declined after emergency measures were introduced by Biden through an executive order that temporarily closed off access points at the frontier.
Immigration has been a central focus of Trump’s campaign, with him accusing new arrivals of negatively impacting America and proposing militarized mass deportations as part of his crackdown strategy.
In response, Harris criticized Trump’s actions earlier this year when he attempted to derail a bipartisan border security bill. She accused him of prioritizing politics over finding real solutions and described his interference as an “abdication of leadership.” If elected president, Harris pledged to work with Congress on passing comprehensive border security legislation while also implementing additional measures such as closing off areas between legal crossing points and restricting certain individuals from claiming asylum.
Trump has sought to link Harris directly with the surge in illegal crossings during Biden’s presidency by labeling her as “border tsar,” but her campaign has rejected this characterization.
A spokesperson from Trump’s campaign dismissed Harris’s visit to the border as a desperate attempt at diverting attention from what they perceive as chaos caused by her policies during her time overseeing immigration matters.
