Vice President Kamala Harris visited the southern U.S. border in Arizona to address the issue of immigration, calling for tougher security measures, including new fentanyl detection machines and more Border Patrol agents. She also plans to propose tighter asylum restrictions, aiming for a lower average of illegal border crossings to trigger the restriction compared to President Biden’s executive action. Harris intends to implement stronger emergency authorities as well. The visit comes amid a record number of illegal border crossings since Biden took office, prompting Harris to focus on solutions and criticize former President Trump’s handling of the issue.
Harris has been criticized by Republicans for her handling of the border crisis, with Trump labeling her as the administration’s “border czar.” However, Harris insists that her focus is on addressing the root causes of migration from countries in the Northern Triangle. The debate over immigration is crucial in Arizona, where ranchers like John Ladd have seen an increase in border apprehensions on their property. Ladd, who has seen smugglers cutting through the border fence on his land, is skeptical of Harris’ promises to address immigration issues, believing she wants the border to remain open.
Despite the polarization surrounding immigration, some border community members like City Council member Danya Acosta have been won over by Harris, though they express frustration with the political rhetoric. Acosta, who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, was swayed by the failure of a bipartisan border bill in the Republican-controlled House, seeing it as a sign of political manipulation at the expense of the border community’s well-being.
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