Harris may visit US-Mexico border as immigration takes focus in 2024 election

Vice President Kamala Harris may visit the US-Mexico border during her Arizona campaign stop as her team works to close the gap with Donald Trump on immigration issues. Harris continues to defend her immigration record while pushing back against GOP attacks.

In Short

• Kamala Harris considers visiting the US-Mexico border during Arizona stop
• Harris counters GOP attacks on her immigration record and border visits
• Polls show Trump leading on immigration, but Democrats see a chance to close the gap

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, 59, is considering a visit to the US-Mexico border during her campaign stop in Arizona this Friday, as her team works to close the gap with Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate, on the critical issue of immigration.

Harris's campaign officials are weighing the potential visit, with no final decision made yet, according to a report by CNN that cited sources.

The 2024 presidential election has put immigration at the forefront, including in the presidential debates, with Republicans, led by Trump, attacking the Biden administration’s handling of border issues.

Although recent months have seen the lowest border crossings since 2020, Harris is working to defend her immigration record and respond to claims that she hasn’t addressed the border enough, according to CNN.

“While we fight to move our nation forward to a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies will keep trying to pull us backward. We all remember what they did to tear families apart, and now they have pledged to carry out the largest deportation, a mass deportation in American history,” Harris said last week, drawing a contrast between her policies and Trump’s controversial immigration proposals.

Republicans have labelled Harris as a “border czar", holding her responsible for US-Mexico border management.

Her campaign, however, emphasises her previous border visit as vice president, along with her experience as California’s attorney general addressing transnational criminal gangs, reported CNN.

Democrats hope to use the failure of a bipartisan border measure earlier this year to position Trump as ineffective on immigration, even as polls show him leading on the issue.

Harris officials believe the gap is closing and see this as an opportunity to push back against Trump’s criticisms.

The Friday visit, if confirmed, comes amid growing attention to border security in battleground states like Arizona, where recent polling shows Trump leading.