DOUGLAS, Ariz. — Vice President Harris made her first appearance Friday at the southern border since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, and delivered a speech pledging to crack down on illegal immigration while blasting former President Trump.
"Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed and barred from reentering for five years," Harris told an enthusiastic crowd inside the gymnasium of the Cochise County College Douglas Campus located roughly two miles from the southern border.
"We will pursue more severe criminal charges against repeat violators and if someone does not make an asylum request at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum. While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States. Our system must be orderly and secure."
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Harris, who touted her record as a border state attorney general, claimed that Trump "tanked" the "strongest border security bill we have seen in decades" earlier this year and argued that if it were law today, it would be producing "results" for the country.
"It is my pledge to you that as President of the United States I will bring it back up and proudly sign it into law," she said.
Harris also pledged to "understand how solutions get formed" and to "reach across the aisle and I will embrace common sense approaches and new techniques to get the job done."
"Because I know transnational gangs coming across the border, trafficking in guns, drugs and human beings could[n't] care less who somebody voted for in the last election," she said.
Harris added, "I will surge support to law enforcement agencies on the front lines, more personnel, more training and more technology, including 100 new inspection systems that can detect fentanyl hidden in vehicles."
Fentanyl was a common message in Harris' speech, which she delivered after being introduced by Theresa Guerrero, whose son, Jacob, was killed by fentanyl poisoning at age 31.
"We will make sure that our ports of entry, including airports and seaports, have additional state-of-the-art technology to detect fentanyl and the chemical tools used to make it," Harris said. "I will also double the resources for the Department of Justice to extradite and prosecute transnational criminal organizations and the cartels."
Harris added, "The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them. And I take that responsibility very seriously. We are also a nation of immigrants. The United States has been enriched by generations of people who have come from every corner of the world to contribute to our country and to become part of the American story."
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Harris claimed during her speech that Trump did "nothing" to fix our "broken immigration" system during his four years as president.
"He did not solve the shortage of immigration judges," Harris said. "He did not solve the shortage of border agents. He did not create lawful pathways into our nation. He did nothing to address an outdated asylum system and did not work with other governments in our hemisphere to deal with what clearly is also a regional challenge.
"He separated families. He ripped toddlers out of their mothers arms, put children in cages, and tried to end protections for Dreamers. He made the challenges at the border worse. And he is still. And he is still fanning the flames of fear and division. And let me be clear, that is not the work of a leader. That is not the work of a leader. And that is, in fact, I think we all believe an abdication of leadership."
Harris signaled that she will find a pathway to citizenship for "Dreamers" who she said are "American in every way."
Harris told the crowd she will work with Democrats and Republicans to fix the border issue and said she rejects the "false choice" between securing the border and "creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane."
"We can, and we must do both. We must do both."
Shortly before the speech, Harris walked the southern border with two border patrol officials who the White House says briefed her on "their efforts to combat traffickers and transnational criminal organizations."
Following that briefing, Harris traveled by motorcade to the Raul H. Castro Port of Entry in Douglas where she was briefed on efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl at the border.
Harris' speech outlining how she will tackle illegal immigration comes under the backdrop of millions of illegal immigrants overwhelming the southern border during her tenure as vice president, which has sparked frequent criticism from Trump, Republicans, and the Border Patrol union.
"After years of not just ignoring the problem, but helping create it, Vice President Kamala is finally headed down to the border," the National Border Patrol Council said in a statement leading up to Harris' visit. "This is nothing more than for her to check the box, but what it is in reality, is a slap in the face towards the men and women that put their lives on the line every day, and also a slap in the face to the American public. Where has she been?"
Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that at least 7.2 million illegal immigrants entered the United States under President Biden, an amount greater than the populations of 36 states.
Harris faced criticism just hours before her speech after Immigration and Customs Enforcement released data showing that tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions are currently loose on the streets in the U.S.
Fox News polling released this week showed Trump with a 3 point lead in Arizona after Harris was in the lead by a point last month.
The 3-point shift among registered voters is mainly due to movement among young voters, women and Hispanics.
Polling has also shown that the vast majority of Americans believe the southern border is a "problem" after almost four years of the Biden-Harris administration and recent Fox News polling shows Americans trust Trump on the economy over Harris by 10 points.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and Dana Blanton contributed to this report
