August 14, 2024

Kamala Harris

NPR - Vice President Kamala Harris is spotlighting her history of tough border enforcement in her campaign ads and speeches. This comes as the Biden administration faces low approval ratings on immigration and Republicans blame Harris for what they call a “border invasion.” A closer look at Harris’ record as a public official in California reveals a more nuanced picture

⚖️ Harris went after abusive employers who shortchanged immigrant workers during her time as San Francisco's district attorney from 2004 to 2010 and encouraged immigrant communities to feel safe with law enforcement. But she also favored turning juvenile immigrants arrested for crimes to immigration agents.
⚖️ When Donald Trump became president in 2017 and Harris was a new U.S. senator, she met with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and reassured undocumented immigrants that she would fight for them. 
⚖️ In 2021, President Biden tasked Harris with addressing the “root causes” of migration from three Central American countries that were the source of the most unauthorized migration at the time.
⚖️ Harris and Biden called on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that would increase resources for Border Patrol and immigration courts. It would also allow the government to expel people without hearing asylum claims if border encounters reach a certain level.
⚖️ Many immigrant rights groups have sharply criticized Biden for his policies, but so far they’re not attacking Harris in the same way. Political observers say that with the November election approaching, advocates may recognize that the alternative to a Harris presidency would be Trump’s hard-line policies.

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