With her VP pick set, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign can move forward at full speed with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. One vulnerability Republicans are focusing on is an issue known to be important to voters: immigration.
Republicans are attacking Harris on border security, calling her a failed "border czar." But Harris never held that title and was never in charge of the southern border. She was, however, tasked with overseeing the root causes of migration.
"While we are clear that people should not come to the border now, we also understand that we will enforce the law and that we also — because we can chew gum and walk at the same time — must address the root causes that — that cause people to make the trek," Harris said in March 2021, after President Joe Biden tasked her with overseeing the administration's Root Causes Strategy.
The administration's strategy for Central America focused on economic insecurity, corruption, human rights issues, gang violence and more. The White House's efforts have generated over $5.2 billion in investments in the region, helping with everything from job creation to internet access.
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Regarding comprehensive immigration reform, Harris still supports the bipartisan bill first released in February 2024. That bill, crafted over months by a bipartisan group of senators, would have hired more border patrol and asylum-screening officers, created an emergency authority to "close" the border if unlawful entries reached a predetermined number, and increased the credible fear threshold for asylum seekers.
During a July 30 campaign event in Atlanta, Harris said, "Our administration worked on the most significant border security bill in decades. Some of the most conservative Republicans in Washington, D.C., supported the bill. Even the Border Patrol endorsed it. ... As president, I will bring back the border security bill that Donald Trump killed, and I will sign it into law."
Harris' new running mate brings his own views on immigration to the ticket.
In 2021, Walz supported a pathway to citizenship for "dreamers" and immigrants with "temporary protected status."
Last year, as governor, he signed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants in Minnesota to obtain a driver’s license. His congressional voting record shows past support for expanded border security and increased screening for refugees.
