Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by southern Arizona Friday afternoon to underscore her tough-on-border plans, outlining sweeping restrictions she plans to enact if she wins her bid to the White House, which included bringing back the bipartisan border bill that was killed by Senate Republicans earlier this year.
The visit to Douglas, Arizona marked the first time the Vice President visited the southern border since she took the helm of the Democratic party.
In her remarks, Harris called for more resources for the Border Patrol, arguing that decreasing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. will be a "top priority" if she's elected in November. She also vowed to keep in place Biden's executive order limiting asylum at the southern border, bring more resources to border patrol agents and "keep the border closed."
"They have a tough job. They need, righty, support to do their job. They work long hours, they're very dedicated. And so, I'm here to talk with them about what we can continue to do to support them and to also thank them for the hard work they do," Harris said as she arrived at the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry.
The remarks were among her toughest on immigration and border policy given by a major Democratic figure, The New York Times suggested. But she still took time to slam her opponent, former President Donald Trump for having "inhumane" policies while also lacking an overall plan for solving issues.
Yet she promoted a policy that resembles a Trump-era effort to ban asylum for those who cross the border illegally. The Vice President says she understands that people are desperate to come into the United States, but that the system must be "orderly."
Harris' speech coincided with the release of a new Democratic ad focusing on immigration that is set to run in Arizona and other battleground states. The ad, titled "Never Backed Down," touts Harris's experience prosecuting cartel members as California attorney general and says he will hire thousands more border agents and stop fentanyl smuggling and human trafficking.
Immigration has been considered a special vulnerability for the Harris campaign, with its constant criticism being fueled by Trump and his fellow Republicans. Throughout the cycle, they have pounded the Vice President over the Biden administration's record on the issue and fault her for spending little time visiting the border during her time in the White House.
In fact, on Friday, the GOP candidate didn't wait for Harris to touch down on Arizona before he started pushing back on her immigration message. During a rally in Michigan, another battleground state, Trump said "blood is on [Harris'] hands," alluding to common rhetoric he uses that claims migrants are committing crimes at disproportionate rates.
The visit to the border state comes not only as immigration remains a top 2 priority for voters, but also as Trump emerges with a razor-thin lead in the key battleground state.
A recent New York Times/Siena College poll shows that the former President is widening his lead in the critical state, currently standing at 50% to Harris' 45%. Other polls, however, show a smaller lead. For instance, The Hill/Decision Desk HQ's aggregate of polls showed Trump leading the state at 48.6% to Harris' 47.6%.
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