DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris walked a scrubby stretch of fence line along Arizona’s border with Mexico on Friday, making her first visit to the international boundary since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee as she confronts one of her biggest vulnerabilities ahead of the November election . Harris chatted with local Border Patrol leaders about securing the area as they strode along a rust-colored stretch of wall built during Barack Obama's presidency.
Temperatures neared 100 degrees. “They’ve got a tough job, and they need, rightly, support to do their job,” Harris said of the Border Patrol as she entered the Douglas port of entry for a briefing on efforts to block the flow of fentanyl across the border. “They are very dedicated.
And so I’m here to talk with them about what we can continue to do to support them. And also thank them for the hard work they do.” Later, she was expected to call for further tightening asylum restrictions, moving beyond President Joe Biden’s policy on an issue where her rival, former President Donald Trump , has an edge with voters .
Trump and his fellow Republicans have pounded Harris relentlessly over the Biden administration’s record on migration and fault the vice president for spending little time visiting the border during her time in the White House. Harris will outline her plan to crack down further on asylum claims and keep the restrictions in place longer compared to the executive order.
