Harris has visited US southern border twice as vice president | Fact check
The claim: Kamala Harris visited US southern border for ‘first time’ in September 2024
A Sept. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims Kamala Harris was vice president for more than three years before she visited the U.S. southern border.
“Today is the 1,346th day of the Biden/Harris Administration. Kamala Harris is visiting the Southern Border for the first time today,” reads the post. “Do they think we are stupid? They caused it. They could have fixed it. They didn’t. End of story.”
It was shared more than 100 times in two weeks.
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Our rating: False
Harris’ trip to the U.S. southern border in September 2024 was her second as vice president. She last visited the border in 2021 when she traveled to Texas.
Harris visited southern border in 2021 during Texas trip
On Sept. 27, Harris visited Douglas, Arizona, a city on the southern border about 120 miles southeast of Tucson and home to the state’s second busiest port of entry. She walked along the border, met with officials and gave a speech about border security and immigration reform at Cochise College’s Douglas Campus.
The border has been a key campaign issue for Harris, who Republicans have misleadingly labeled as the "border czar." Harris was never put in charge of the border – that is the job of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – but was tasked with leading the administration's diplomatic efforts addressing the "root causes" of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The Douglas trip was Harris' second to the southern border as vice president, not her first. Harris previously visited the border on June 25, 2021, when she traveled to El Paso, Texas, with Mayorkas and two Democratic lawmakers – Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar.
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Harris’ trip was covered in detail by multiple news outlets, including the El Paso Times, which reported that she toured a Customs and Border Protection processing facility, stopped at a border fence and led a discussion with immigration advocates.
The Facebook post links to a report by CBS News that correctly notes it was Harris’ first trip to the southern border since she became the Democratic nominee for president. Harris secured her party’s nomination in August after President Joe Biden left the race.
USA TODAY has previously debunked other false claims about Harris and immigration, including that Harris was 'put in charge of the border,' that 51 million 'illegals' entered U.S. under Biden and Harris, and that a document proves Kamala Harris' mother committed immigration fraud.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
El Paso Times, June 25, 2021, Live: Vice President Kamala Harris visits El Paso, US-Mexico border
The Texas Tribune, June 25, 2021, In first trip to U.S.-Mexico border as vice president, Kamala Harris focuses on causes of immigration
The Associated Press, June 25, 2021, On border tour, Harris laments ‘infighting’ over immigration
CNN, June 25, 2021, Kamala Harris makes her first visit to the US-Mexico border as vice president
C-SPAN, Sept. 27, Vice President Harris Campaigns in Douglas, Arizona
USA TODAY, Sept. 27, Kamala Harris pushes tougher asylum restrictions during visit to US-Mexico border
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris has visited US-Mexico border twice as VP | Fact check