Kamala Harris pushes tougher asylum restrictions during visit to US-Mexico border

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris went on the offensive Friday during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, saying she would impose tougher asylum restrictions if elected president — as former President Donald Trump hammers her on the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Speaking from Douglas, Arizona, about 120 miles southeast of Tucson and home to the state’s second busiest port of entry, Harris said she will do more to reduce illegal border crossings. And, would take "further action to keep the border closed between ports of entry."

Although Harris did not discuss her plans in detail, a campaign official said Harris would work to make it harder to lift an emergency order put in place by President Joe Biden this year that authorizes the U.S. to turn away migrants who enter the country without legal permission when the border is overwhelmed.

"While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States, our system must be orderly and secure. And that is my goal." Harris, the vice president said.

More: Harris heads to southern border in Arizona — where she's losing ground to Trump

Under executive action that Biden took in June, the U.S. is compelled to turn away asylum seekers anytime unlawful border crossings hit an average of 2,500 people a day in a given week — a threshold that was regularly met during the height of the nation’s migration surge earlier this year.

The existing policy requires the border to reopen when crossings dip below an average of 1,500 people a day over one week – a level still not reached even as border encounters have declined in recent months. But Harris' change would require the number of average illegal border crossings to drop further before a border reopening could occur.

"The United States is a sovereign nation, and I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border and to enforce them. And I take that responsibility very seriously," Harris said.

Support for a 'pathway to citizenship'

Harris said migrants who cross the border illegally will be apprehended, removed and barred them from reentering the U.S. for five years. She also said her administration would pursue "more severe criminal charges against repeat violators," while barring individuals who enter the U.S. illegally from receiving asylum.

Despite taking a hardline stance on border security, Harris said she also supports a "pathway to citizenship" for undocumented migrants currently in the United States. She singled out farmer workers and undocumented individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children – known as “Dreamers,” based on legislation called the DREAM Act, which never passed Congress.

“They are American in every way,” Harris said. "I reject the false choice that suggests we must either choose between securing our border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly and humane."

And she sought to distance herself from the the child-separation policies of Trump, accusing the Republican nominee of making the challenges at the border of worse and still "fanning the flames of fear and division."

"Let me be clear: That is not the work of a leader," Harris said.

More: Donald Trump holds lead over Kamala Harris in Arizona, exclusive poll finds

Trump, who has promised "mass deportations" of undocumented immigrants in a second presidency, has repeatedly slammed Harris for her role as Biden's point person assigned to address root causes of migration to the southern border.

"The worst border crisis in the history of the world," Trump said Thursday in New York. "And the architect is Kamala Harris."

Immigration – historically a losing issue for Democrats in elections – remains a liability for Harris. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University national poll this month found likely voters, by a 50%-47% margin, believe Trump would do a better job handling immigration than Harris A Quinnipiac University poll this week found Trump with a wider 53%-45% edge on immigration.

Ahead of her speech, Harris made an unscheduled stop to view a stretch of a border wall constructed under the Obama administration. She walked along the barrier for about 10 minutes and was briefed by John Modlin, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector and  Blaine Bennett, the agent in charge for the Douglas Station Border Patrol.

Harris also met with Border Patrol officials to discuss disrupting the flow of fentanyl through the border.

"They’ve got a tough job and they need, rightly, support to do their job," Harris told reporters.

Harris introduced by mother whose son died from fentanyl

Harris’ trip came as she’s lagging behind Trump in Arizona, a key battleground state. Trump is leading Harris by 6 percentage points, 48%-42%, among likely Arizona voters, according to a new poll released Friday by USA TODAY/Suffolk University. The margin of error is 4.4%.

Theresa Guerrero, whose son, Jacob, died from fentanyl in 2020, introduced Harris. Guerrero said her late-husband was from Douglas and that she believes Harris will fight for families to curb fentanyl from crossing the border.

“It was devastating when he died,” Guerrero said of her son. “It still is, losing a child isn't something you get over, but I've made sure every single day since to make sure his death meant something, which is why I'm here.”

With signs that said “border security and stability” flanking the stage, Guerrero said she believes that Harris is visiting the border because “she cares about us, she cares about our families, and she cares about securing the border."

Continuing one of her central attacks on the campaign trail, Harris emphasized Trump's role in encouraging Republican senators to kill a bipartisan border bill this year that was packed with tough new border restrictions and funding for more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges.

"It was endorsed by the Border Patrol union, and it should be in effect today, producing results in real time right now for our country," Harris said. "But Donald Trump tanked it. He picked up the phone and called some friends in Congress and said, 'Stop the bill.' Because, you see, he prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."

Harris said the American people "deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games," promising to bring the legislation back if elected.

The visit marked Harris' second trip to the southern border as vice president and her first as the Democratic presidential nominee. Harris previously visited the southern border during a 2021 trip to El Paso, Texas. Trump campaigned at the U.S.-Mexico border last month in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

More: Kamala Harris needs Latinos to win these swing states. They say she has more to do

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrion and Rebecca Morin @RebeccaMorin_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VP Harris pushes tougher asylum restrictions during border visit