Vice President Kamala Harris is doubling down on her support for an “earned pathway to citizenship” for illegal immigrants in a new campaign policy page, even as she presents a more muscular approach to border security overall.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe in tough, smart solutions to secure the border, keep communities safe, and reform our broken immigration system,” the lengthy “issues” page of her campaign website says.
The page itself comes as Harris has faced pressure over her policy positions, both in relation to whether she stands by some of her more radical policy positions from her 2020 presidential primary bid, and to what extent she differs from the President Biden administration.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at Northwestern High School in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
As a candidate, she supported decriminalizing illegal border crossings, called to shut down immigration detention centers on day one and talked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement starting again “from scratch.”
After entering office in 2021, the Biden administration put forward a broad immigration reform bill that at its heart had a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States. While it failed to move forward after its introduction in the Senate, the administration has repeatedly expressed support for it.
More recently, and after a historic three-year crisis at the border, the administration’s attention has shifted to a bipartisan Senate bill that would not include an amnesty pathway but would restrict some entries into the U.S. and would increase funding to the border.
On her campaign page, Harris emphasizes that as California’s attorney general, Harris “went after international drug gangs, human traffickers and cartels that smuggled guns, drugs, and human beings across the U.S.-Mexico border.” It then notes her support for the border security bill.
Migrants walk along the highway through southern Mexico on July 21, 2024, during their journey north toward the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
“As Vice President, she supported the bipartisan border security bill, the strongest reform in decades. The legislation would have deployed more detection technology to intercept fentanyl and other drugs and added 1,500 border security agents to protect our border,” she said.
She also touted the recent drop in border crossings that came after President Biden signed an executive order restricting the ability of new migrants to claim asylum at the border.
“As President, she will bring back the bipartisan border security bill and sign it into law,” it says, before then highlighting that she still wants to see those in the country illegally given a pathway to citizenship.
“At the same time, she knows that our immigration system is broken and needs comprehensive reform that includes strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship,” it says.
It is the latest expression of support from Harris for an amnesty for many millions of illegal immigrants now in the U.S.
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“We do need Congress to act and to do what we know is necessary to fully put the resources into the border and creating a meaningful pathway to citizenship,” she said in June.
Similarly, she called for an “earned pathway to citizenship” during her remarks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month.
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Last month, Harris’ campaign confirmed to Fox News that Harris had shifted her positions on some issues, with a Harris campaign adviser telling Fox that her positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”
The campaign said that she believes that unauthorized border crossings are illegal, wants to ensure sufficient resources to prioritize detention and removal of some illegal immigrants, and noted again her support for more funding at the border via the bipartisan Senate bill.