During her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to sign the failed bipartisan border security bill into law if she becomes president of the United States.
These comments come as former President Donald Trump, as well as his Republican allies, increasingly attack Harris for not helping to solve border security issues.
Harris Talks Policy at the DNC
During her acceptance speech to become the Democratic Party’s official presidential nominee, Harris talked about various policies that she would fight for if she were to become president.
One key issue she discussed was border security — an issue that many conservatives have criticized her over in recent weeks.
Democrats and Border Security
Various polls and surveys have found that many Americans view Democrats to be weak on border security, favoring Republicans and Trump on this issue.
A new poll even found that Americans trust Trump more when it comes to border security and immigration policy than Harris.
The Border Czar
Since President Joe Biden stepped down from the presidential race and nominated Harris in his place, Republicans have frequently attacked the Vice President over key issues — but none so much as her work on immigration and border security.
These conservative critics have claimed that as Harris acted as a “border czar” she didn’t solve the ongoing border crisis at all.
Harris Fights Back
In her speech, Harris seemingly hit back at these critics and pointed out that she and Biden worked with Congress to create a bipartisan border security bill that would cover both security at the southern border and immigration policy.
However, she also stated that the only reason this bipartisan bill failed to be passed was because Trump didn’t want it to be.
Calling Out Trump
Harris explained that this bill was the strongest border bill seen in the U.S. in decades.
“Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades; the border patrol endorsed it,” Harris said. “But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. So, he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal.”
Trump Killed Border Deal
Reporting at this time did reveal that Trump ordered his Republican allies in the Senate to ensure that this bipartisan border deal didn’t pass.
After applauding the demise of the bill, Trump also claimed credit for ruining this deal, stating, “I think we killed it. I think it’s dead!”
Playing Politics
Harris further added that she wouldn’t “play politics” with border security — something she insinuated Trump has done.
“I refuse to play politics with our security,” Harris said, adding that she would “bring back the bipartisan border security bill that [Trump] killed and sign it into law.”
Reforming Immigration System
Harris also talked about how the U.S. immigration system was broken and needed to be fixed. She stated that she would do this, if she becomes president.
Harris stated, “I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system; we can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border.”
Republicans’ Response
Republicans have already responded to Harris’ speech and border security promises. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley stated that Harris staged a coup while also calling her out on her border policies.
Whatley said, “After staging a coup to take the nomination from Joe Biden just weeks ago, Kamala Harris took to the stage at the DNC to share her dangerously liberal agenda with the Democrats gathered to coronate her in Chicago. The Border Czar has allowed 10 million illegal immigrants, along with rampant migrant crime and a fentanyl crisis.”
Trump vs Harris on Border Issues
While many conservatives back Trump when it comes to border security, some law enforcement officials have come out to blast the president after he ended the bipartisan border bill.
Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County in Texas, said, “When he killed the border bill, he just made our jobs harder.”
Presidential Policies on Immigration and Border Security
Both presidential candidates have offered different policies on how they would handle immigration and border security. Harris has stated that she will ensure the bipartisan border security bill is passed.
Meanwhile, Trump and many of his Republican allies have said that they will carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the country.
