DOUGLAS, Ariz. — Vice President Harris made her first look Friday on the southern border since changing into the Democratic nominee for president, and delivered a speech pledging to crack down on unlawful immigration whereas blasting former President Trump.
“Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed and barred from reentering for five years,” Harris instructed an enthusiastic crowd contained in the gymnasium of the Cochise County School Douglas Campus positioned roughly two miles from the southern border.
“We will pursue more severe criminal charges against repeat violators and if someone does not make an asylum request at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum. While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States. Our system must be orderly and secure.”
HARRIS VISITS CRUCIAL BORDER STATE AS IMMIGRATION RECORD SPARKS SCRUTINY: A TIMELINE
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Harris greets supporters throughout a marketing campaign occasion at Cochise School Douglas Campus in Douglas, Ariz., Friday.
Harris, who touted her report as a border state legal professional normal, claimed that Trump “tanked” the “strongest border security bill we have seen in decades” earlier this 12 months and argued that if it had been regulation in the present day, it could be producing “results” for the nation.
“It is my pledge to you that as President of the United States I will bring it back up and proudly sign it into law,” she mentioned.
Harris additionally pledged to “understand how solutions get formed” and to “reach across the aisle and I will embrace common sense approaches and new techniques to get the job done.”
“Because I know transnational gangs coming across the border, trafficking in guns, drugs and human beings could[n’t] care less who somebody voted for in the last election,” she mentioned.
Harris added, “I will surge support to law enforcement agencies on the front lines, more personnel, more training and more technology, including 100 new inspection systems that can detect fentanyl hidden in vehicles.”
Fentanyl was a typical message in Harris’ speech, which she delivered after being launched by Theresa Guerrero, whose son, Jacob, was killed by fentanyl poisoning at age 31.
“We will make sure that our ports of entry, including airports and seaports, have additional state-of-the-art technology to detect fentanyl and the chemical tools used to make it,” Harris mentioned. “I will also double the resources for the Department of Justice to extradite and prosecute transnational criminal organizations and the cartels.”
Harris added, “The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them. And I take that responsibility very seriously. We are also a nation of immigrants. The United States has been enriched by generations of people who have come from every corner of the world to contribute to our country and to become part of the American story.”
MARK CUBAN SPARS WITH RILEY GAINES OVER HARRIS’ HANDLING OF THE BORDER CRISIS
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin in Douglas, Ariz., Friday.
Harris claimed throughout her speech that Trump did “nothing” to repair our “broken immigration” system throughout his 4 years as president.
“He did not solve the shortage of immigration judges,” Harris mentioned. “He did not solve the shortage of border agents. He did not create lawful pathways into our nation. He did nothing to address an outdated asylum system and did not work with other governments in our hemisphere to deal with what clearly is also a regional challenge.
“He separated households. He ripped toddlers out of their moms arms, put youngsters in cages, and tried to finish protections for Dreamers. He made the challenges on the border worse. And he’s nonetheless. And he’s nonetheless fanning the flames of concern and division. And let me be clear, that’s not the work of a pacesetter. That’s not the work of a pacesetter. And that’s, the truth is, I feel all of us imagine an abdication of management.”
Harris signaled that she will find a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” who she said are “American in each approach.”
Harris told the crowd she will work with Democrats and Republicans to fix the border issue and said she rejects the “false selection” between securing the border and “making a system of immigration that’s protected, orderly, and humane.”
“We are able to, and we should do each. We should do each.”
Shortly before the speech, Harris walked the southern border with two border patrol officials who the White House says briefed her on “their efforts to fight traffickers and transnational prison organizations.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a campaign event, Friday, in Walker, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Following that briefing, Harris traveled by motorcade to the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry in Douglas where she was briefed on efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl at the border.
Harris’ speech outlining how she will tackle illegal immigration comes under the backdrop of millions of illegal immigrants overwhelming the southern border during her tenure as vice president, which has sparked frequent criticism from Trump, Republicans, and the Border Patrol union.
“After years of not simply ignoring the issue, however serving to create it, Vice President Kamala is lastly headed all the way down to the border,” the National Border Patrol Council said in a statement leading up to Harris’ visit. “That is nothing greater than for her to examine the field, however what it’s in actuality, is a slap within the face in direction of the women and men that put their lives on the road on daily basis, and likewise a slap within the face to the American public. The place has she been?”
Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that at least 7.2 million illegal immigrants entered the United States under President Biden, an amount greater than the populations of 36 states.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Harris speaks at Cochise College Douglas Campus in Douglas, Ariz., Friday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Harris faced criticism just hours before her speech after Immigration and Customs Enforcement released data showing that tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions are currently loose on the streets in the U.S.
Fox News polling released this week showed Trump with a 3 point lead in Arizona after Harris was in the lead by a point last month.
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The 3-point shift among registered voters is mainly due to movement among young voters, women and Hispanics.
Polling has also shown that the vast majority of Americans believe the southern border is a “downside” after almost four years of the Biden-Harris administration and recent Fox News polling shows Americans trust Trump on the economy over Harris by 10 points.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Dana Blanton contributed to this report
