Vice President Kamala Harris, a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, responded to a question on Wednesday on Fox News Channel's “Special Report” about whether it was a mistake to end the Remain in Mexico policy at the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration. He said: “We're focused on solving problems, and we've done a lot since day one, including introducing legislation on the border.”
Host Bret Baier asked, “How many illegal immigrants do you estimate your administration has released into this country over the past three and a half years?”
Mr. Harris said, “Well, I'm glad you brought up immigration, because I agree with you. Immigration is a topic of discussion that people rightly want to discuss.'' You know what I'm trying to tell you, which is–“
Mr. Baier then intervened and asked for his number.
Harris replied: “Brett, let's get down to business, okay?” The point is, our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. ”
Baier then said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has estimated the number to be around 6 million.
So Mr. Baier asked:[W]When you took office, your administration immediately reversed many of President Trump's border policies. Most importantly, you switched the policy that required illegal immigrants to be detained by deportation in the United States or Mexico. They were released from custody awaiting trial. Instead, they included many single men and adult men who continued to commit heinous crimes. So, looking back, do you regret your decision to end remaining in Mexico at the beginning of your administration? ”
“When I took office, the first bill I introduced to Congress, almost within hours of being sworn in, was a bill to fix our immigration system,” Harris responded.
After a lengthy discussion between Mr. Harris and Mr. Baier, Mr. Harris added: We are focused on solving problems, and we have tackled the refugee system from the beginning, putting more resources into it, getting more judges, toughening penalties, and doing everything we can to increase fines. I've done a lot of things, including what I need to do. Penalties for illegal crossings, what needs to be done to address entry points between border entry points. That's the work we did, working to support a bipartisan effort that included some of the most conservative members of the U.S. Congress to actually strengthen the border. I think Border Patrol agents supported this bill because this border bill would put 1,500 more Border Patrol agents on the border. ”
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