DOUGLAS, Ariz. – Too little, too late?
Vice President Kamala Harris became the first Democratic presidential candidate to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, rushing to announce measures to ease the ongoing border crisis with less than 40 days until Election Day. Over 3 and a half years.
“We believe that the United States is a sovereign nation and we have an obligation to set rules at our borders and enforce them,” Harris, 59, said at a rally after touring a portion of the border wall in Cochise County. he said.
“And I take that responsibility very seriously.”
She announced that if elected as the 47th president, she would improve an executive order issued by President Biden in June banning asylum claims from immigrants who cross the border illegally.
“We will do more to secure our borders and reduce illegal border crossings,” Harris said. “We will take further action to keep borders closed between ports of entry.”
“Those who cross the border illegally will be arrested, removed and barred from re-entering the country for five years,” the Democratic candidate vowed.
“We will bring tougher criminal charges against repeat offenders, and if someone crosses the border illegally rather than applying for asylum at a legal point of entry, they will receive asylum. You will be prohibited from doing so.”
Her proposed amendment to the 81-year-old president's executive order was followed by a promise to pursue amnesty for certain illegal immigrants already in the United States.
“I reject the false choice between securing our borders and creating a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system,” Harris said. “We can and must do both.
“As president, I will work with Congress to finally create a path to citizenship for the hardworking immigrants who have been here for years and deserve to have a system that works,” she vowed.
Harris said she will implore Congress to create a “pathway to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants and migrant farm workers brought to the United States as children.
She also accused former President Donald Trump, 78, of “obstruction” after he opposed the Senate border bill over the summer, vowing to “bring it back and proudly signing it” if elected.
“The issue of border security is not a new issue for me,” Biden's border “czar” says before touting his work combating transnational criminal organizations as California's attorney general nearly a decade ago. spoke.
“As California's attorney general, I led a bipartisan group of U.S. attorneys general to travel to Mexico City and meet with Mexico's attorney general to address this issue, particularly to increase information sharing. 10 years ago, we investigated gang activity and were able to prosecute more traffickers because of it,” she proudly recalled.
“So stopping transnational criminal organizations and strengthening our borders is not new to me, it's a long-standing priority of mine,” Harris asserted. “I got the job done, and I plan to continue to make it a priority after I'm elected president of the United States.”
The Trump campaign denounced the trip to Douglas, Arizona, as a last-ditch effort to repair Harris' image on the issue.
“Why didn't she fix that nearly four years ago?” Trump asked reporters Thursday at a press conference at Trump Tower.
“She has no plan, no talent, no ability to execute it.”
Douglas, a former mining town of about 16,000 people, is located in the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson area, one of the areas with the highest numbers of illegal immigrants.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 452,000 migrant encounters have been recorded since October 1, 2023. data.
Although arrests have declined since Biden's June executive order, critics say the damage is already being done.
“Regardless of the administration, I think we need to secure our borders in some places, primarily for human trafficking,” Tom Moffett, a minister near Sonoita, told the Post.
“And that border is often the final destination for people who are trafficked.
“I think border security is absolutely necessary. I have a lot of friends in the Border Patrol and this is coming from them, so I think we've become less secure under this administration than we were under the previous administration.”
Bill Fortenberry, an actor based in the Wild West-themed tourist town of Tombstone, agreed that the situation has gotten worse in recent years.
“I think there’s a lot more activity going on,” he said.
“I think there's some smart people in both offices, and I think no matter who wins, that's something that needs to be addressed, because what's going on right now isn't really working. However, I feel sorry for everyone involved.”
According to RealClearPolitics voting averageIn Arizona, which Biden lost four years ago, Mr. Trump holds a 2-point lead over Ms. Harris in a head-to-head contest.
Trump's press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, said in a statement that “Kamala's last-minute border visit and empty calls for increased security 39 days before the election are the last 44 months prompted by her open border policies.” “This does not rewrite the chaos, crime and bloodshed that ensued.” .
“When asked why he did not visit the border, deny the existence of a crisis or advocate for mass amnesty during his last four years as vice president, Kamala replied with a laugh.
“Throughout her career, Ms. Kamala has opposed further funding for the Border Patrol, advocated for the abolition of ICE, and voted against President Trump's border wall,” she continued.
“The American people will not be fooled by Kamala's political gamesmanship. They are smart enough to understand that Kamala Harris has been in charge of the border for four years and she has failed.”
