Fact-checking Kamala Harris’ border claims in new ad

(NewsNation) — A new campaign ad touting Vice President Kamala Harris’ border security credentials makes potentially misleading claims about her record.

The ad, which aims to improve Harris’ image on immigration, portrays her as a tough prosecutor cracking down on drug cartels and cross-border smuggling.

However, our NewsNation fact-check reveals a number of exaggerations and misrepresentations.

Although the ad portrays Harris as a “border state prosecutor,” her role as California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017 primarily involved criminal cases at the state level. The ad’s implication that she was directly involved in border cartel cases seems to stretch the truth.

Claims that Harris locked up gang members for cross-border smuggling also appear to be exaggerated. While she did prosecute gang members, these cases were mostly local drug crimes rather than international smuggling operations.

The ad touts Harris’ support for “the toughest border control bill in decades.”

Although she supported a bipartisan bill to increase funding for border security, it was rejected by most Senate Republicans.

The additional border guards mentioned in the ad are part of the Biden administration’s broader strategy, rather than a specific Harris initiative.

Harris’ efforts against fentanyl trafficking and human trafficking, highlighted in the ad, are part of a larger, multi-agency government strategy that is not led by the vice president alone.

It is misleading that Harris is portrayed in the ad as a central figure in border security management.

Although she was assigned to a diplomatic role in 2021 focusing on the root causes of migration in Central America, direct oversight of border security falls under the Department of Homeland Security, not the vice president’s office.