The situation at the southern border has emerged as a focal point in the 2024 presidential campaign, with GOP vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris at the border on Thursday for her management of the crisis. This comes just days after her campaign aimed to differentiate her stance from that of former President Trump on this contentious topic.
“It’s difficult to comprehend just how detrimental the policies of the Kamala Harris administration have been regarding the southern border until you witness it firsthand,” Vance remarked in Cochise County, Arizona. “Upon taking office, Kamala Harris’s administration halted deportations immediately and ceased the border wall construction.”
Vance echoed Republican sentiments about how the Biden administration has dismantled what they consider effective Trump-era policies, leading to turmoil at the border.
2024 SHOWDOWN: TRUMP CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES HARRIS’S EMPHASIS ON A CRUCIAL ISSUE PLAGUING HER VICE PRESIDENCY
Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks to the media during his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in Hereford, Arizona, on Thursday. (Grace Trejo/Arizona Daily Star via AP)
“Here we see the border wall, poised for completion behind us. Yet, it remains unfinished due to the actions of Kamala Harris’s administration. They reinstated catch-and-release and halted the Remain in Mexico policy,” he added. “Asylum seekers arriving at our border can now be released into our country instead of staying in Mexico while their claims are processed.”
Furthermore, Vance characterized securing the border as “not rocket science.”
“You simply need to re-establish some practical policies. You need to bring back Remain in Mexico, end catch-and-release practices, and require asylum seekers to wait in Mexico during their claim evaluations. Additionally, you must finish the border wall and resume deportations,” he stated.
Vance’s visit to the border follows former President Trump’s announcement that he plans to visit the location ahead of November, potentially on multiple occasions.
Republicans have relentlessly criticized Harris concerning the southern border, particularly in light of the ongoing crisis and her role in international diplomacy on root causes, which has led to her being dubbed the “border czar” by both media and opposition.
In response, Harris has emphasized endorsements from a coalition of mayors in Arizona border towns “recognizing her extensive track record of advocating for border security and reforming our flawed immigration system, including her initiatives against transnational gangs involved in the smuggling of arms and drugs during her tenure as California Attorney General, which resulted in the lowest border crossings in years due to stringent policies implemented during her time in the White House.”
This week, Harris launched an advertisement emphasizing her endorsement of a bipartisan border package proposed in the Senate, which aimed to increase border funding and impose restrictions on entries into the U.S. The Biden administration has stated that it would address the border crisis, which Trump and his allies ultimately defeated.
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The advertisement asserted that Harris “played a significant role in achieving record low border crossings and has devoted her entire career to ensuring the safety of our communities,” while accusing Trump of “aligning with drug traffickers and cartels to obstruct the most effective and just reforms for securing the border in decades.”
The Trump campaign swiftly condemned the video.
“Each claim in Kamala’s border advertisement is a blatant falsehood. The reality is that President Trump delivered the most secure border in history to the Biden-Harris Administration, which they have since compromised by reversing all his effective policies,” the Trump campaign asserted. “As Border Czar, Kamala Harris has overseen the most severe immigration crisis in American history, facilitating drug cartels’ smuggling of lethal fentanyl and permitting over 11 million illegal immigrants and terrorists from various nations to infiltrate our country.”
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses attendees during a campaign rally in Atlanta on Tuesday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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Harris rebuked Trump at a rally in Atlanta earlier this week, claiming he “talks a big game about securing our border, but fails to walk the walk.”
She asserted that the former president “sabotaged a bipartisan agreement because he believed it would benefit his election chances” and affirmed that “as President, I will revive the border security legislation that Donald Trump derailed.”
Following Vance’s remarks on Thursday, Harris’s campaign aimed criticism at both Trump and Vance.
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“Donald Trump and JD Vance are not presenting solutions to the American public — merely insults, turmoil, and fear. They are not advocating for security at our border; instead, they wish to incite fear. Their Project 2025 agenda only serves to harm working families,” James Singer, spokesperson for Harris for President, commented.
Fox News’ Greg Norman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
