US presidential candidate Kamala Harris advocates immigration in Arizona

Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t address immigration at rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin this week, but she made it a key part of her speech Friday night at a packed rally in a Phoenix suburb.

“We’re going to move forward and address the biggest issues facing our country, including immigration,” Harris told the crowd of supporters, NBC News reported. “I was the attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels, the human traffickers. I prosecuted them in case after case, and I won.”

Harris supported a border security package that was negotiated earlier this year by a bipartisan group of senators, but was ultimately vehemently rejected by Republican members at the request of Republican nominee Donald Trump. Harris claimed, “Donald Trump does not want to solve this problem. To be clear, he has no intention or interest in actually solving the problem. He talks a great game when it comes to border security, but he doesn’t act on it.”

Additionally, Harris emphasized “freedom” in her statements at the event, as she has in previous campaign visits, particularly when it comes to voting rights, gun safety, LGBT rights and abortion access. “Arizona, our fight is for the future and it’s a fight for freedom,” Harris declared, entering the arena to the sound of Beyonce’s “Freedom.”

During their visit to a campaign office in North Phoenix on Friday afternoon, Harris and Walz acknowledged the difficulty of the race and thanked the volunteers who put up signs that read, “This Mamala is Voting for Kamala” and “Kamala and the Coach.” (Walz coached high school football.) At the rally, she emphasized it again. “As exciting as this is, we can’t lose sight of one very important fact: We are absolutely running as the underdog,” Harris said.

According to The Associated Press, after repeatedly criticizing Biden for the flood of immigrants during his presidency, Trump is now turning his criticism on Harris. In a new ad, Kari Lake, the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Rep. Ruben Gallego for the open Arizona Senate seat, attacks Gallego for supporting Biden and Harris’ “radical border agenda,” with multiple clips of the vice president smiling. “It’s very easy for us to change course and target her,” said Dave Smith, chairman of the Pima County Republican Party.

Arizona is represented in the U.S. Senate by Democrat Mark Kelly, who won two tough races in the politically divided state and who this week skipped Harris as his running mate.

She stressed that she and Biden are “working every day, night and day, to get that ceasefire deal done and get the hostages home.” Harris added: “I respect your votes, but we’re here to talk about this race in 2024.” She responded differently earlier this week when Gaza protesters interrupted her at a rally in the Detroit area. She spoke over the protesters.

Immigration is the main topic of conversation as both camps vie for support in Arizona. In 2020, President Joe Biden won the state by about 10,000 votes, and current polls indicate that Harris and Trump may have identical margins of victory. Additionally, the most recent voter registration data from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office shows that the percentage of Democrats in the state’s electorate has declined by 3% under the Biden administration.