Harris Pledges Tougher Border Policies and Immigration Reform During First Border Visit as Presidential Candidate
DOUGLAS — Kamala Harris vowed on Friday to enforce stricter border policies and overhaul the U.S. immigration system during her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as a presidential candidate.
Harris, currently the U.S. vice president, is addressing immigration amid polls showing that a majority of Americans favor her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, on this critical issue ahead of the upcoming election.
Speaking to a supportive crowd in Douglas, Arizona, Harris emphasized the importance of maintaining border security while promising to work across party lines to repair the country’s “broken” immigration system.
“The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them, and I take that responsibility very seriously,” she declared.
“We are also a nation of immigrants… and so we must reform our immigration system to ensure that it works in an orderly way, that it is humane, and that it makes our country stronger.”
As part of her plan, Harris vowed to revive a bipartisan border bill, which she said Trump blocked last year. The proposal would include adding 1,500 more border agents and investing in machines to detect fentanyl, an opioid responsible for many deaths in the U.S. She also emphasized that anyone crossing the border illegally would be barred from seeking asylum, while hard-working migrants who come legally should have a path to citizenship.
“I reject the false choice that suggests we must either choose between securing our border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane. We can and must do both,” Harris stated.
In response to Trump’s divisive rhetoric on immigrants, she said, “The American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games and their personal political future.”
Earlier in the day, Harris visited the border wall in Douglas, where she met with Border Patrol officials, marking her first trip to the area since securing the Democratic Party nomination.
As polls show a tight race, especially in battleground states like Arizona, Harris continues to face challenges in gaining voter trust on immigration issues, despite a decrease in illegal border crossings since President Joe Biden’s executive order in June.
Trump, however, continues to criticize Harris, accusing her administration of allowing criminals into the U.S. and capitalizing on fears related to immigration to galvanize his base.