Harris Tours U.S.-Mexico Border, Calls for Tougher Asylum Policies

Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border to call for stricter asylum rules as she addresses immigration issues ahead of the upcoming election.

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Vice President Kamala Harris walked along a rough part of the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday. She asked for tougher rules on asylum claims to show she can be serious about illegal migration. This visit is important for her, especially with the November election coming up.

Harris wants to make asylum rules stricter, which goes beyond what President Joe Biden is doing now. This is an important topic for her because her main opponent, former President Donald Trump, is seen as better by voters on immigration. During her visit, she made it clear that we can keep the border safe while also helping immigrants in a fair way.

"I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose either between securing our border and creating a system that is orderly, safe and humane," she said. "We can and we must do both."

This was Harris's first trip to the border since she became the Democratic presidential nominee. She spoke with local Border Patrol leaders while walking along a rusty wall built during Barack Obama’s presidency. The temperature in Douglas, Arizona, was almost 100 degrees while they talked for about half an hour.

After that, Harris went to a closed meeting at the Douglas port of entry. She learned about efforts to stop drug smuggling and to make it easier for goods and people to cross the border legally. She praised Border Patrol agents for their tough work and said they need support.

Harris's visit was meant to respond to Trump and other Republicans, who have criticized her for not visiting the border enough while she has been in the White House. Immigration and border security are very important topics in Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico. The state saw a record number of asylum seekers last year, and voters often trust Trump more on immigration issues. Harris's recent actions aim to improve how people see her and tackle this important issue head-on.

During her speech, Harris took the chance to talk about Trump's record on immigration when he was president. She pointed out that he did not do anything to fix the legal immigration system or the old asylum process. She also mentioned that he did not address the need for more immigration judges and border agents.

"Donald Trump tanked it," she said about a bipartisan plan that wanted to improve the immigration system but failed in Congress. "He prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."

After that immigration plan failed, the Biden administration announced new rules. These rules say that migrants cannot get asylum if U.S. officials think the southern border is too crowded. Since then, arrests for illegal crossings have gone down.

Harris's plan includes tougher charges for people who keep crossing the border illegally. It also requires asylum claims to be made at official entry points.

During her visit, Harris reminded voters about her time as California’s attorney general. She talked about her work prosecuting drug and people-smuggling gangs along the border.

Her visit to Douglas has brought immigration issues to the front, just weeks before Election Day. Trump quickly responded to her visit. He pointed to data about criminals coming into the U.S. illegally, trying to link Harris to crimes by migrants. In a speech in Michigan, he said, “Blood is on her hands.”

Trump claimed that under Harris, more than 10 million people are in the country illegally. However, estimates on how many people entered the U.S. illegally since Biden took office vary a lot.

Harris was never called a "border czar." Instead, she was given the job of addressing the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Harris believes that by helping big companies invest in these countries, jobs will be created. This would give people reasons to stay home instead of making the hard trip to the U.S.

Trump continues to say that there is an “invasion” at the border.

Harris visited Douglas, a mostly Democratic town in Cochise County. This town is connected to the larger Mexican town of Agua Prieta. Many locals want to make legal border crossings easier while also dealing with illegal ones.