Vice President Kamala Harris made her first trip to the southern U.S. border in more than three years to address the issue of immigration. She plans to call for tougher security measures, including new fentanyl detection machines and more Border Patrol agents. Harris also intends to press the Chinese government to crack down on companies that make precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl. She will propose tighter asylum restrictions, going beyond Biden’s executive action earlier this year.
Harris has been working to rebrand herself amid a record number of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration. She has attacked Trump for his efforts to kill a bipartisan border funding deal and is facing criticism from Republicans for not doing enough to address the border crisis. An NBC News poll found that a majority of voters believe Trump would better handle securing the border, but more trust Harris to treat immigrants humanely.
The issue of immigration is crucial in battleground Arizona, where residents have strong opinions on the matter. Some, like rancher John Ladd, believe Trump had the border situation under control, while others, like City Council member Danya Acosta, feel disillusioned by the heated rhetoric surrounding immigration. Acosta, who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, was swayed by the failure of a bipartisan border bill and feels that politicians are using people as pawns for political gain.
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