By The opinion
31 Jul 2024, 01:43 AM EDT
Vice President Kamala Harris went on the offensive on immigration at an election rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, with in order to counter the attacks of former President Donald Trump on the subject, which is one of the most discussed in the 2024 elections.
Harris touted her role as California attorney general who prosecuted transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers and blamed Trump for “sinking” this year’s bipartisan border bill on Capitol Hill “because he thought it would help him win an election.”
“Donald Trump doesn’t care about border security, he only cares about himself” Harris said, and added that she would work to pass the bipartisan bill as president.
The vice president’s comments came after the launch of a new law on Tuesday a new announcement Trump’s campaign, which is broadcast across several key swing states and focuses on Harris’s record on immigration.
Republicans have focused on accusing Harris of addressing the root causes of migration in Central America to broadly portray her as the sole person responsible for the country’s border security for the past three years.
“This is America’s border czar, and she has failed us,” reads one of Trump’s new campaign ads.
On Tuesday, Harris’ campaign released its own 50-second campaign video which shows a contrast similar to the one highlighted at the rally.
“Kamala Harris supports increasing the number of Border Patrol agents. Donald Trump blocked a bill to increase the number of Border Patrol agents,” the video says.
During the Atlanta rally, Harris also promised to “tackle” price gouging, cut costs, ban hidden fees and unexpected late charges in the financial industry, pass a voter access bill and enact universal background checks for gun sales and transfers.
Managing the U.S.-Mexico border had been a political burden for President Joe Biden, and he is now shadowing Harris as Trump capitalizes on the vice president’s charge to address the root causes of migration in Central America.
Biden administration officials have repeatedly maintained that Harris focused on long-term solutions, while the Department of Homeland Security remained responsible for overseeing border security.
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