Former President Trump said Vice President Harris' planned visit to the US-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday was for “political reasons only” as she has sought to put immigration at the forefront of her campaign ahead of the November election.
“After almost 4 years, Border Secretary Kamala Harris has decided, for political reasons, that it's time to go to our broken southern border,” Trump posted. The truth of society“How shameful that she waited so long and allowed millions of people from prisons, psychiatric hospitals and criminal organisations not just in South America but around the world to enter our country. Many of these people are terrorists, at levels never seen before!”
Since Harris entered the race in July, Republicans have been calling her Biden's “border czar,” a phrase some media outlets have used in 2021 in reference to the president. asked He called on her to “lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle” and help us “stem migration to our southern border.”
Migrant encounters at the border hit a record high in late 2023, but apprehensions by Border Patrol fell by nearly half this summer compared to the previous year as the Biden administration implemented tougher immigration measures.
Despite the decline, Harris continues to face criticism from both parties on the issue. Six House Democrats sponsored a resolution in July saying Biden and Harris' “far-left Democratic open border policies are the cause of this historic crisis.”
Harris has tried to go on the offensive on the issue, arguing that she is committed to stopping illegal immigration but that President Trump opposes bipartisan legislation that would help curb illegal border crossings.
The issue hits especially close to home in Arizona, a key battleground state where Trump holds a slight lead over Harris, according to a DDHQ/The Hill polling average.
Details of Harris' visit on Friday were not released. It will be her second visit to the state since replacing Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
The Hill has reached out to Harris' campaign for comment.
