New Harris Border Security Ads Mark 180 Years of Liberal Immigration Advocacy

Harris’ campaign released a new ad touting Vice President Kamala Harris’ efforts as California’s district attorney to secure the border. It appears to be a different message than the one she wanted to convey as she prepared to be sworn in as a U.S. senator.

“Kamala Harris has spent decades fighting violent crime. As a prosecutor in a border state, she took on drug cartels and jailed gang members for smuggling guns and drugs across the border,” the ad, titled “Tougher,” reads.

The ad also references the Democratic presidential candidate’s time as vice president, claiming that she “backed the toughest border enforcement law in decades. And as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and take tougher action on fentanyl and human trafficking.”

The bill referenced in the ad, a bipartisan agreement between President Biden and a handful of senators, was defeated by Senate Republicans in February. A later attempt to revive the bill was also defeated by GOP lawmakers in May, despite the president’s plea to lawmakers to “stop politicking” on border security.

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Vice President Kamala Harris. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Harris has promised to revive the legislation as president.

“Fixing the border is hard. So is Kamala Harris,” the ad reads.

The ad comes as Harris looks to go on the offensive on border security, an issue Republicans have been keen to highlight as one of her weaknesses after the Biden administration faced record numbers of illegal border crossings. This is especially notable after the vice president was put in charge of fixing the “root causes” of illegal immigration.

The history of hard-line border policies that Harris’ campaign wants to emphasize, however, stands in stark contrast to the message Harris delivered when she was first elected to the Senate in 2016. The then-senator touted her record of “defending immigrants and refugees” after learning she had been tapped to serve on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Vice President Kamala Harris visits a U.S. Border Patrol station in El Paso, Texas, on June 25, 2021. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

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“I am proud to have had a long career as a prosecutor protecting public safety and defending immigrants and refugees,” Harris wrote in a Medium post at the time.

“Here in California, I fought to pass laws that protect immigrant victims of crime and illegal retaliation against undocumented immigrants who report crimes,” she continued. “And during our campaign, I was a leading voice for increasing — not stopping — the number of asylum seekers our country accepts from Syria and other war-torn countries.”

Meanwhile, Republicans continue to attack Harris’ record on border security. Last month, they released an ad describing the vice president as “weak” and “dangerously liberal” on border security.

Former President Trump has also spoken out about the attacks on Harris. During Truth Social Sunday, he highlighted the vice president’s reputation as the Biden administration’s so-called “border czar.”

Former President Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx in New York City on May 23, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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“Kamala Harris was put in complete charge of the border,” Trump said. “It quickly became the WORST, MOST DANGEROUS BORDER IN HISTORY. As President, Harris will COMPLETELY DESTROY OUR COUNTRY!”

Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis via the Fox News Digital Immigration Center.