Vice President Harris pledged Friday at a campaign event in Douglas, Arizona, to sign a new version of the failed bipartisan Senate border agreement, emphasizing her vision for border control by law enforcement and politicizing the issue. He criticized former President Trump.
Harris, visiting the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time in three years, told supporters at Cochise College's Douglas campus that she would further tighten asylum restrictions that have helped reduce border crossings since May.
“This was the strongest border security bill we've seen in decades,” Harris said. “This bill has the support of the Border Patrol, goes into effect today, and provides real-time I'm sure it's bringing results.” But Donald Trump ruined it. He picked up the phone and called some friends in Congress and said, “Stop this bill.'' Because he prefers tackling problems to solving problems, and the American people prefer border security to border security. We deserve a president who cares about us.” It's about playing political games and thinking about your personal political future. ”
“So even if Donald Trump tries to sabotage the border security bill, it is my pledge as president of the United States to take this bill back and proudly sign it into law.”
Harris also proposed a five-year re-entry ban for people who cross the border between ports of entry, as well as tougher criminal penalties for those who repeatedly cross the border.
But Harris also pledged to work on immigration reform, including improving the asylum system and giving longtime undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.
“We need clear legal pathways for people seeking to enter our country, and we need to make the current system work better. For example, asylum applications can take years to be decided. Well, this is a problem that we can solve, like hiring more asylum workers and expanding processing centers in people's home countries.As president, I will work with Congress to, finally, work hard. “We create a path to citizenship for immigrants who work in the United States. They've been here for years and years and years,” she said.
Harris, who was preceded on stage by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays, spoke at a campaign event in Arizona on Friday night, just as the East Coast had nearly concluded its general election. gave a speech. weekend.
Harris was introduced by Arizona native Teresa Guerrero, who told the audience that her son Jacob died from accidental fentanyl poisoning.
“When I heard Vice President Harris speak at Oprah's Town Hall, I knew she would be a warrior for me, for Jacob, and for families like those of us who have lost loved ones. Vice President Harris understands what fentanyl has done to families and children in this country,” Guerrero said.
“That's why she supported a bipartisan border deal that could stop the flow of fentanyl, the border deal that President Trump proposed. And that's why she's here in Douglas. My husband grew up… It's a town where we have so much to offer, a family. “
Harris' message comes as neither Harris nor Trump have a clear lead in the state, but Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has a wide lead over Republican candidate Kari Lake. It was created for border states with U.S. Senate races.
“I think this is for Arizona. They want to play there. They want to win,” Democratic strategist Christian Ramos said.
Mr. Kelly touted bipartisan infrastructure legislation that would expand the Douglas port of entry and separate personal and commercial traffic, a unique border issue that is typically overlooked on the national stage.
“[The border] It creates opportunities for cross-border trade and exchange and helps boost the economy here and across the state,” Kelly said.
“But the problem is, it also creates some challenges. And we know that. But border communities and border states like Arizona are leaders who are focused on solving those challenges.” He is a worthy person.”
Harris also touted the expansion of border crossings and increased overtime pay for Border Patrol agents in her remarks.
Most polls show Harris lagging behind Trump on immigration. In a recent Ipsos poll, 44% of voters said Trump has a better plan for immigration than Harris, and 33% of respondents agreed.
In Arizona, a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released Friday found Trump with a 6-point lead in the state. Trump has a 0.8 percentage point lead in Arizona, according to the average poll from Decision Desk Headquarters.
Harris has sought to bridge the gap by portraying President Trump as an opportunist on border issues, often using the now-defunct bipartisan Senate border agreement as a cudgel.
Hayes also pushed that message home, hammering home the idea that Trump and the Republican Party have sought to profit from the image of a dangerous and chaotic border.
“It doesn't need to be said, but there are no worse options. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have no interest in fighting for a safe America. They said 'no' to border security. , because they thought it would be politically useful. “On every issue, from the economy to the border, they've made it clear that they're working on problems for themselves, not you,” Mays said.
Harris also used Trump's record on immigration as a weapon of attack.
“In the four years Donald Trump was president, he did nothing to fix our broken immigration system. He didn't fix the shortage of immigration judges. He didn't fix the shortage of border patrol agents. He didn't create a legal route into our country. He didn't do anything to address our outdated asylum system, a problem that is clearly also a regional challenge. failed to work with other governments in our hemisphere to address this,” she said.
Harris' immigration policy prescriptions were the most detailed of any presidential campaign to date.
Still, Harris' defense of the Senate deal is a double-edged sword. Harris successfully touted the idea that President Trump abandoned the deal because he believed it would work, but the deal's asylum restrictions remain divisive within Democrats.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) remain opposed to the deal, which was reached behind closed doors without the group's cooperation.
“If this bill were to be introduced in any form, it would have to pass the CHC first,” CHC Chairwoman Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.) said in a recent interview with The Hill.
The bipartisan agreement placed strict limits on asylum for migrants who cross the border between ports of entry. The Biden administration introduced many of these restrictions in June through executive law and reportedly plans to make them permanent before the end of President Biden's term. There is.
A combination of asylum restrictions and strict immigration enforcement in Mexico has led to a significant drop in border crossings, but immigrant advocates argue that these declines have come at the cost of increased human rights abuses. are.
In the Tucson Border Patrol District, where Douglas is based, Border Patrol apprehensions in August fell from 80,184 in December to a peak of 11,992, the lowest number since January 2021. Ta.
The number of crossings at legal ports of entry in this sector, including the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, has increased since 2021 but remained relatively stable during fiscal year 2024, with 3,759 encounters in August. Recorded.
People encountered at ports of entry include immigrants applying for humanitarian programs and people who have made appointments through the CBP One app, but do not include immigrants or nonimmigrant aliens crossing the border with a visa.
Harris visited the Raul H. Castro Facility early Friday morning to be briefed on the fentanyl discontinuation and spoke with two Border Patrol agents along the border wall, which was built under former President Barack Obama's watch in 2012. .
Republicans tried to pre-empt Harris' comments by releasing a letter from Patrick Reckleitner, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to Representative Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas).
The letter included data on the number of aliens in the United States who have been convicted of a crime or have criminal charges pending against them, including those detained by ICE and civilians.
According to Rechleitner, there are 425,431 convicted aliens not in ICE custody and 222,141 aliens facing criminal charges.
“We have known for too long that the Biden-Harris border crisis poses a direct threat to the American people. The truth is clear: illegal immigrants with criminal records are entering our country. ICE Announces “The data is beyond alarming and should serve as a wake-up call to the Biden-Harris administration and cities across the country hiding behind sanctuary policies,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
ICE data does not refer only to illegal immigrants or those who entered the United States under the Biden administration, but to the number of people who have been convicted or prosecuted out of a population of more than 46 million noncitizens. . crime.
