Vice President Kamala Harris said there should be consequences for people who illegally cross the U.S. southern border, making clearer her approach to immigration during her first major interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
“We have laws that have to be followed and enforced,” Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday.
“Let’s be clear, in this race, I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings. I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws. And I would enforce our laws as president going forward,” Harris said.
Harris noted former President Donald Trump’s role in persuading Republicans to kill a bipartisan border security deal that was endorsed by the Border Patrol and designed to reduce border crossings.
“That bill would have allowed us to increase seizures of fentanyl. Ask any community in America that has been devastated by fentanyl what passing that bill would have done to address their concerns,” Harris said.
The CNN interview further highlights Harris’ hard-nosed approach to immigration. Harris — during the CNN interview and at the Democratic National Convention — pledged to sign the bipartisan border security bill that expanded detentions and barred most migrants from getting asylum.
Veteran political consultant Mike Madrid noted on X that Harris “is supporting the most conservative border security bill in the last 50 years,” as he shared a video clip of the CNN interview.
Immigrant rights advocates are taking note.
To Erika Andiola, director of communication with the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, seeing immigration solely mentioned as an enforcement and crime issue can reinforce “dangerous stereotypes and hate against us immigrants.”
“It’s unfortunate and disheartening to see that immigration as a topic in the media has become all about security and not about the human aspect of it all … I just wish she would push back,” Andiola said on X of Harris’ CNN interview.
“Immigration is so much more than the border, drugs, trafficking and literally everything they are focusing on. Immigration is about the humans that decide to migrate to the U.S. Undocumented, visa holders, asylum seekers, refugees, etc. It’s about human beings,” Andiola added.
Leading up to the interview, the immigrant rights organization Mijente issued a statement declaring: “We can’t ignore Democrat’s clear shift on immigration.”
“We recognize the dangers of a second Trump administration, and we are committed to fighting to ensure he is not re-elected. But we have a responsibility to fight for our community and push the Democratic party when they adopt harmful stances without accountability,” the statement read.
