U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris recently acknowledged in an interview that the U.S. immigration system is “broken” and in need of reform. Immigration remains a key issue on both Harris’s and Republican nominee Donald Trump’s agendas as they prepare to face off in the upcoming presidential election in November.
According to a report by NBC News, Harris plans to advocate for enhanced border security measures, including the introduction of new fentanyl detection technologies and an increase in Border Patrol agents. Additionally, Harris intends to urge the Chinese government to intensify efforts to regulate companies responsible for producing precursor chemicals used in fentanyl manufacturing, the report stated.
Stricter Asylum Policies
Harris also aims to take more stringent action on illegal immigration compared to President Joe Biden’s administration. Under Biden’s current regulations, if border encounters exceed a 7-day average of 1,500, migrants crossing the border illegally are ineligible to apply for asylum. Harris is proposing a lower threshold for these encounters, allowing for even tighter border security measures.
Since Biden took office, the U.S. has recorded over 10 million illegal border crossings. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in April 2024 revealed that encounters at the Southwest border surpassed 179,000, while total encounters nationwide exceeded 247,000. The CBP report also indicated that encounters at Southwest border entry points nearly doubled in April 2024 compared to April 2021.
‘Run on a Problem…Fix the Border’
As the election approaches, Harris and Trump have increasingly exchanged criticism over immigration policy. Harris has accused Trump of blocking a bipartisan border funding deal earlier this year, stating, “He killed a bill that would have actually provided a solution because he wants to campaign on the issue.”
Trump, meanwhile, has countered Harris’s criticisms, saying, “She keeps talking about how she supposedly wants to fix the border. Why didn’t she do it almost four years ago?” Trump remarked during a news conference at Trump Tower, as reported by NBC News.
