Harris beforehand visited the border in June 2021, when she went to a U.S. Customs and Border Safety facility in El Paso, Texas. In remarks delivered there, Harris famous that El Paso was the location the place the Trump administration first revealed their broadly criticized coverage to separate migrant youngsters from their households.
Harris’ go to was a part of her function within the Biden administration main efforts to handle the foundation causes of northern migration. That a part of her job doesn’t entail managing the border, a job that belongs to Homeland Safety, so it has all the time been merely mistaken for Trump and different Republicans to name her a “border czar.”
As a substitute of embracing harsh immigration insurance policies, the Biden-Harris staff has centered on enhancing situations for residents of countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. The administration has mentioned migration could be diminished by addressing financial wants, countering violence, and selling human and labor rights within the area.
Republicans didn’t describe Trump’s February go to to the border space in Eagle Cross, Texas, as “political,” nonetheless. But on that journey, Trump lamented, “We have languages coming into our country, we have nobody that even speaks those languages.”
Trump has persistently embraced racism and xenophobia to assault immigrants. He launched his first presidential marketing campaign by accusing Mexicans of being “rapists” and within the final yr has accused migrants of poisoning the blood of america. Nazi chief Adolf Hitler made comparable feedback about Jewish individuals earlier than initiating the Holocaust, killing tens of millions.
In February, Republicans in Congress didn’t move a invoice with bipartisan help that might have considerably elevated funding for border safety after Trump pushed them to oppose it. That was not as a result of it was a foul invoice, however as a result of if it handed Biden would get the credit score and it will take away from Trump’s potential to rail about immigration, a serious a part of his marketing campaign.
As a part of her “A New Way Forward” agenda, Harris has mentioned she would again laws to extend border safety whereas additionally pursuing immigration reform.
“As president, I will bring back the border security bill that Donald Trump killed, and I will sign it into law, and show Donald Trump what real leadership looks like,” Harris mentioned in a July speech.
