The White House announced on Wednesday that US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, 59, will make her first trip to the US-Mexico border on Friday since securing her nomination. After speaking at a rally in Douglas, Arizona, Harris will advocate for “the toughest bipartisan border security plan in a generation” and address issues related to border security.
Immigration in the US has become a key issue for both major parties in the upcoming presidential election. During the first presidential debate, the candidates exchanged sharp barbs over this hot-button topic.
A campaign aide explained that Harris’s plan focusses on increasing the number of border agents and using new technologies to combat issues like fentanyl smuggling.
“As a former attorney general from a border state, she took on international gangs and criminal organization’s who traffic drugs, guns, and human beings,” the aide said, emphasizing her longstanding commitment to border security, according to news agency AP.
Harris, who previously served as California’s attorney general, has positioned herself as a proponent of a secure and fair immigration system. “She has long believed we need an immigration system that is secure, fair, orderly, and humane, a stark contrast from the divisive and dangerous politics of Donald Trump,” her aide added.
The trip comes at a time when illegal immigration remains a central issue in the upcoming November 5 election. Harris’s Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump, has made border control a cornerstone of his campaign and frequently criticized Harris’s approach to border policy.
In a recent interview with CNN, Harris reaffirmed her commitment to tightening border security, pledging to “enforce our laws” while advocating for comprehensive immigration reform. She previously visited the border in 2021, but this marks her first trip in her capacity as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Immigration is a top concern for voters, with a recent New York Times/Siena poll showing that 54% of respondents believe Trump would handle immigration better, compared to 43% who favour Harris.
Earlier this year, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border bill, which Harris and President Joe Biden supported, who bowed out of the White House race on July 21 and endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Trump urged Republicans to oppose the measure, preferring to keep immigration as a campaign issue. Harris’s visit to the border underscores her focus on border security as a critical issue in her presidential campaign, according to AP.
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Source: India Today
