US Presidential Election 2024: Kamala Harris visits US-Mexico border to unveil toughest bipartisan border security plan

Vice President of the United States and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala HarrisHarris, 59, will visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday for the first time since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, the White House announced Wednesday. Harris plans to visit Douglas, Arizona, where she will discuss border security concerns and promote what her campaign describes as “the strongest bipartisan border security plan in a generation.”

Immigration in the US has become a major issue for both major parties in the upcoming presidential election. During the first presidential debate, the candidates exchanged sharp criticisms on this hot potato.

A campaign aide explained that Harris’ plan focuses on increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and deploying new technologies to tackle problems like fentanyl smuggling.

“As a former attorney general of a border state, she took on transnational gangs and criminal organizations that trafficked drugs, weapons and people,” the aide said, highlighting her longstanding commitment to border security, the AP reported.

Harris, who previously served as California’s attorney general, has positioned herself as an advocate for a safe and fair immigration system. “She has long believed that we need an immigration system that is safe, fair, orderly and humane, a stark contrast to the divisive and dangerous policies of Donald Trump,” her aide added.

The trip comes at a time when illegal immigration remains a central problem in the upcoming elections on November 5. Harris’ Republican opponent, former president Donald Trumphas made border control a cornerstone of his campaign and has frequently criticized Harris’ handling of border policy.

In a recent interview with CNN, Harris reaffirmed her commitment to tightening border security, pledging to “enforce our laws” and calling for comprehensive immigration reform. She previously visited the border in 2021, but this is her first trip as a Democratic presidential candidate.

Voters are very concerned about immigration. A recent New York Times/Siena poll found that 54% of respondents think Trump would do a better job on immigration, compared to 43% who favor Harris.

Earlier this year, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border bill sponsored by Harris and President Joe Biden that withdrew from the race for the White House on July 21 and supported Kamala Harris for president.

Trump urged Republicans to oppose the measure, saying he wanted to keep immigration a campaign issue. Harris’ visit to the border underscores her focus on border security as a key issue in her presidential campaign, AP reported.