Vice President Harris outlines ‘orderly and secure’ immigration plan and criticizes Trump during first border stop since his nomination

DOUGLAS, Ariz. — Vice President Harris made her first appearance at the southern border on Friday since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, delivering a speech in which she vowed to crack down on illegal immigration while taking aim at former President Trump.

“Those who unlawfully cross our borders will be apprehended, removed and barred from returning for five years,” Harris told an enthusiastic crowd in the gymnasium of the Cochise County College Douglas Campus, about two miles from the southern border.

“We will pursue more serious criminal charges against repeat offenders and if someone does not make a claim for asylum at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will no longer be granted asylum. Although we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States. Our system must be orderly and safe.”

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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris greets supporters during a campaign event at the Cochise College Douglas Campus in Douglas, Ariz., Friday.

Harris, who touted her record as attorney general on the border, claimed that Trump earlier this year “undermined” the “strongest border security law we’ve seen in decades” and argued that if it were law today, it would produce ‘results’. for the country.

“It is my promise to you that as president of the United States, I will bring it up again and proudly sign it into law,” she said.

Harris also pledged to “understand how solutions are formed” and “reach across the aisle and I will embrace common sense approaches and new techniques to get the job done.”

“Because I know transnational gangs are crossing the border, the trafficking of weapons, drugs and people doesn’t care who someone voted for in the last election,” she said.

Harris added: “I will increase support to frontline law enforcement agencies, providing more staff, more training and more technology, including 100 new inspection systems that can detect hidden fentanyl in vehicles.”

Fentanyl was a common message in Harris’ speech, which she gave after being introduced by Theresa Guerrero, whose son, Jacob, was killed at age 31 by fentanyl poisoning.

“We will ensure that our ports of entry, including airports and seaports, have additional advanced technology to detect fentanyl and the chemical tools used to make it,” Harris said. “I will also double resources for the Department of Justice to extradite and prosecute transnational criminal organizations and cartels.”

Harris added, “The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set and enforce rules at our borders. And I take that responsibility very seriously. We are also a nation of immigrants. have been enriched by generations of people who have come from all corners of the world to contribute to our country and be part of the American story.”

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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John Modlin in Douglas, Arizona, on Friday.

Harris claimed during her speech that Trump did “nothing” to fix our “broken immigration system” during his four years as president.

“He has not solved the immigration judge shortage,” Harris said. “He has not solved the border agent shortage. He has not created legal avenues of entry into our country. He has done nothing to address an outdated asylum system and has not worked with other governments in our hemisphere to address what is clearly also a regional challenge. .

“He separated families. He ripped toddlers from their mothers’ arms, put children in cages, and tried to end the protection of Dreamers. He made the problems at the border worse. And he still is. And he still fans the flames of fear. and division. And let me be clear: that is not the job of a leader. And that’s basically I think we all believe in abdicating leadership.

Harris indicated she will find a path to citizenship for “dreamers” who she said are “American in every sense.”

Harris told the crowd that she will work with Democrats and Republicans to solve the border problem and said she rejects the “false choice” between securing the border and “creating an immigration system that is safe, orderly and humane.” .

“We can, and we both have to do it. We have to do both.’

Shortly before the speech, Harris walked along the southern border with two Border Patrol officials who, according to the White House, briefed her on “their efforts to combat human traffickers and transnational criminal organizations.”

Republican presidential candidate, former President Trump, speaks at a campaign event in Walker, Michigan on Friday. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

After that briefing, Harris traveled by motorcade to the Raul H. Castro port of entry in Douglas, where she was briefed on efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl at the border.

Harris’ speech, outlining how she will tackle illegal immigration, comes against the backdrop of millions of illegal immigrants overwhelming the southern border during her tenure as vice president, prompting frequent criticism from Trump, Republicans and the Border Patrol union.

“After years of not only ignoring the problem but helping to create it, Vice President Kamala is finally heading to the border,” the National Border Patrol Council said in a statement ahead of Harris’ visit. “This is nothing more than her having to tick the box, but what it really is is a slap in the face to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day, and also a slap in the face to the American audience. Where has she been?”

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Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that at least 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States under President Biden, a number greater than the population of 36 states.

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris speaks Friday at the Cochise College Douglas Campus in Douglas, Arizona. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Harris faced criticism just hours before her speech after Immigration and Customs Enforcement released data showing that tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and murder convictions are currently loose on the streets of the US.

Fox News polls released this week showed Trump with a three-point lead in Arizona after Harris led by a point last month.

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The three-point shift among registered voters is mainly due to movements among young voters, women and Hispanics.

Polls have also shown that the vast majority of Americans believe the southern border is a “problem” after nearly four years of the Biden-Harris administration, and recent Fox News polls show Americans trump Trump on the economy by 10 points of confidence over Harris.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Dana Blanton contributed to this report