Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time in her 2024 presidential campaign on Friday, calling for tighter asylum restrictions and vowing to make stopping fentanyl from entering the U.S. a “top priority.”
Harris outlined her plans to fix “our broken immigration system” in Douglas, Arizona, a border town of fewer than 17,000 people, while accusing her Republican rival Donald Trump of “fanning the flames of fear and division” over the impact of immigrants on American life.
Some 7 million migrants have been arrested crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally during President Joe Biden’s administration, according to government data, a record high number that has fueled criticism of Biden and Harris from Trump and his fellow Republicans.
Immigration is a top issue for voters. Arizona is a closely contested election state, with a high population of Latino voters sought by both parties. The nation’s porous southern border remains a source of fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.
Some 7 million migrants have been arrested crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally during President Joe Biden’s administration, according to government data, a record high number that has fueled criticism of Biden and Harris from Trump and his fellow Republicans.
Immigration is a top issue for voters. Arizona is a closely contested election state, with a high population of Latino voters sought by both parties. The nation’s porous southern border remains a source of fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.
