Harris visits Arizona amid criticism for record on border

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday traveled to meet with border officials in Arizona, according to a social media statement. The visit comes after Republicans accused Harris of failing to secure the border—even after President Joe Biden tasked her with stemming illegal immigration. Harris said her meetings would focus on securing the border to prevent lethal, illicit fentanyl from being smuggled into the United States.

What did Harris have to say?  Harris told reporters that she rejected what she characterized as the false choice that suggests that Americans must choose between securing the border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane. She said America can and must do both. She also called for more resources to be devoted to U.S. Border Patrol and customs officers.

What does Trump have to say? Former President Donald Trump earlier this week took to social media to criticize Harris for waiting so long to visit the border. Harris did visit El Paso, Texas, in 2021. However the El Paso trip was criticized by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, because she did not visit detention facilities or high-traffic areas in the Rio Grande Valley.

On social media, Trump claimed to have built all the border walls she would walk past during her visit, and told listeners to remember when she was speaking that she allowed 21 million people into the United States illegally.

Dig deeper: Listen to Anna Johansen Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Mexican authorities' efforts to reduce the flow of illegal immigrants exiting their country.