Vice President Kamala Harris stumbled on the Biden-Harris administration's border and immigration policies when asked about the border crisis during a CNN town hall hosted by Anderson Cooper.
“Let's talk about this compromise that you want to pass if you're elected. You said that would be a priority. It includes $650 million in funding for border wall construction. That's what Republicans wanted and was part of the compromise. Under Donald Trump, you criticized the wall more than 50 times as a “stupid, useless, medieval vanity project.” “Is the border wall stupid?” Cooper asked Harris on Wednesday.
“Let’s talk about Donald Trump on that border wall,” Harris said with a laugh. “Remember, Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for it. Look, they didn't. How much of that wall did he build? Last I saw I think the number was about 2%. And when it was his turn to do a photo shoot, he did it on the part of the wall that President Obama had built? ”
“But you agreed to a bill that would appropriate $650 million to continue that construction,” Cooper pressed.
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ASTON, PA – OCTOBER 23: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Trump looks on as CNN host Anderson Cooper looks on during a presidential town hall event at Sun Center Studios on October 23, 2024 in Aston, Pennsylvania. US Vice President Harris gives a speech. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Harris spent the day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, visiting the famous Fourth Avenue Delicatessen to greet supporters. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
“I pledge to introduce bipartisan legislation to further strengthen and secure our borders. Yes, I am. I am committed to passing comprehensive legislation to address our broken immigration system. “I'm going to work across the board,” Harris replied.
“We need a president who is based on common sense and practical consequences. 'Let's fix this problem, let's just fix it, why have an ideological perspective on this? Just fix the problem. Let’s do it,” she continued.
Vice President Kamala Harris attended a CNN town hall event Wednesday night, addressing Pennsylvania voters in a Philadelphia suburb. The event at City Hall began Wednesday at 9 p.m. in Chester Township, located less than 32 miles outside Philadelphia.
Cooper recently asked Harris at City Hall to explain why. Weeks before the first presidential debate with President Biden this summer, when the campaign was still underway, the administration activated executive action to curb illegal border crossings, but did not issue such an order sooner. .
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ASTON, PA – OCTOBER 23: Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the CNN Presidential Town Hall held at Sun Center Studios on October 23, 2024 in Aston, Pennsylvania. With less than two weeks until Election Day, Harris spent the day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, visiting the famous Fourth Avenue Delicatessen to greet supporters. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
“That's exactly right, Anderson. And as of today, we've cut the flow of immigration by more than half. In fact, the last numbers I've seen are illegal immigration,” Harris told Cooper.
“If it's that easy without executive action, why not do it in 2022 or 2023?” Cooper pressed.
“Because we were working with Congress and we were hoping that we could actually solve the problem in the long term, not just short-term solutions,” Harris responded.
Border Patrol agents pick up a group of asylum seekers from a relief camp on the U.S.-Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. In the first four months of fiscal year 2024, the Border Patrol recorded more than 250,000 refugees. CBS reports that federal statistics show the Tucson, Arizona, area has the highest rate of immigrant insecurity of any area the agency patrols. Photographer: Justin Hummel/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Justin Hummel/Getty Images)
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“You couldn't do one or both at the same time,” Cooper points out.
Cooper went on to ask Harris if he wished he had done so. ”“We implemented executive orders in 2022, 2023,” Harris said, adding that she believes the administration “did the right thing.”
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“I think we did the right thing, and the best thing that can happen for the American people is that there is a bipartisan effort going on. I pledge to you that we will work across the aisle. I think the American people are demanding that on both sides of the aisle,” she responded.
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