Trump Set To Visit U.S.-Mexico Border Ahead Of Harris DNC Speech

August 22, 2024

Publication: Newsweek

By: Billal Rahman

Former President Donald Trump will visit the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The GOP nominee will to speak about immigration policy in Arizona, a key swing state, as Republicans try to derail Harris’ momentum by drawing attention to a critical election issue that Democrats are perceived to be weak on.

Harris and the Democrats have been under increasing pressure over what Republicans view as a lack of toughness on border security and immigration policy. Republicans blame the vice president for high illegal crossing numbers that have taken place during the Biden administration.

Trump’s campaign said there’s “no end in sight for Kamala Harris’ border crisis.”

The former president will visit the U.S. southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, at 11:30 a.m. local time on Thursday.

“While failed border czar Kamala Harris adopts the Biden Basement strategy to hide from the illegal immigrant invasion created by her radical policies, President Trump will be visiting the southern border again. President Trump knows how important the border crisis is to Americans and will once again deliver on his promise to stop the invasion, secure the border, and make America safe.” Taylor Rogers, RNC spokesperson, told Newsweek.

GOP lawmakers have branded Harris the “border czar,” despite her never being given that title. Harris was tasked by President Joe Biden with addressing the “root cause” of migration to the U.S. from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The vice president secured $4.2 billion in private-sector investments for employment opportunities in Central America.

Newsweek has contacted the Harris campaign for comment.

Democrats and Republicans have been embroiled in a war of words over the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republican policy promises mass deportations of illegal immigrants to resolve the issue.

Democrats’ plans are not as strict as those in the GOP’s playbook, however, it does include powers for the president to close the border should it be deemed necessary.

Legislation surrounding immigration at the DNC has been largely focused on Biden’s failed border security bill, which was voted down by GOP lawmakers earlier this year due to Trump’s behind-the-scenes machinations.

July saw the lowest number of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border in four years, a major boost for Democrats.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Friday that July saw a 32 percent drop over the prior month, partly due to Biden’s effective asylum ban signed in June.

A recent poll by Gallup in July suggested bipartisan support for curbs on immigration levels. Fifty-five percent of Republicans and Democrats want to see immigration levels decrease.

On Wednesday, Trump said at a rally in North Carolina that Democrats were afraid to speak on immigration.

However, immigration was on the agenda on Wednesday night at the DNC, in an attempt to halt Republican momentum on the highly salient issues that voters routinely say are among their top concerns in November.

Democrats lined up to launch a barrage of scathing attacks on Trump’s policies.

“When it comes to the border, hear me when I say: You know nothing, Donald Trump,” Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar told attendees on Wednesday.

Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, Texas, described Trump as “a self-serving man.”

“When he killed the border bill, he just made our jobs harder,” Salazar said.

Javier Salazar, Bexar County Texas Sheriff, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

New York Rep. Tom Suozzi told the audience, “The border is broken,” during his address at the DNC.

“But this year, when Democrats and Republicans finally worked together to finally write new border laws, we were blocked.

“We all know who sabotaged us,” he said, hinting at Trump’s role in killing the bill,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’ support among Hispanic voters has surged since she entered the 2024 presidential race, as shown by a recent Economist/YouGov poll.

Since her campaign launch on July 21, she now leads former President Donald Trump by 20 points (54 percent to 34 percent) among Hispanic voters. This poll, conducted between August 17 and 20, surveyed 1,368 registered U.S. voters.

Maribel Hernández Rivera, director of policy and government affairs for border and immigration at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Newsweek a “Kamala Harris administration would present an unexpected and critical opportunity for serious reform of the nation’s immigration system.”

ACLU released a recent report arguing that a Harris administration should reject “tough-on-immigration” border policies in favor of a humane and balanced approach to immigration reform.

“Although Harris has publicly embraced the 2024 Senate Border Act—which would have permanently decimated asylum protections,” the report said. “If elected, Harris should instead build on her knowledge of the root causes of migration and her prior support for the U.S. asylum and refugee system to invest in real solutions that will meet the needs of the current moment.”

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