Vice President Kamala Harris made her first visit to the Arizona-Mexico border, aiming to address immigration issues ahead of the November election. Harris balanced tough talk on border security with calls for a better system to welcome immigrants legally while criticizing former President Trump’s handling of the issue.
During her visit, Harris met with Border Patrol leaders and received a briefing on efforts to combat drug trafficking and improve legal flow across the border. She emphasized the importance of supporting Border Patrol agents while challenging Trump’s record on migration and accusing him of preferring to run on border security issues rather than fixing them.
Despite Trump’s criticism and pushback, Harris highlighted her work as California’s attorney general in confronting transnational crime along the border. Her plan to exceed Biden’s efforts at the border includes more serious criminal charges for repeat offenders and requiring asylum claims at ports of entry.
Harris’s visit to the border placed immigration at the forefront less than six weeks before the election. Trump countered with accusations of criminal activity by migrants and ads deriding Harris as a failed “border czar.” However, Harris’s role focused on addressing root causes of migration from Central American nations.
The border town of Douglas, where Harris visited, is a Democratic stronghold in a Republican-dominated county facing election result disputes. Trump used the town as a backdrop for his own border security messaging. Many in Douglas prioritize making legal border crossings more efficient alongside combating illegal ones.
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