The Border Patrol Union criticized Vice President Kamala Harris after she made her first campaign visit to the southern border on Friday as the Democratic presidential nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Douglas, Arizona, making a stop along the border wall—a structure she previously described as a “gross misuse of taxpayer money” and pledged to “block any funding for” during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
In her remarks, Harris criticized Trump for the failed Senate bill that proposed $48 billion to support Ukraine in its war against Russia and nearly $16 billion to aid Israel in its conflict with Hamas, in exchange for reforms to border security. One provision of the legislation would trigger a shutdown of the border, but only after 5,000 people had crossed daily, which is why Republicans shunned it.
The Border Patrol Union blasted Harris for ignoring the migrant crisis “she created for over three years” just to give a 20-minute speech and photo-op on the campaign trail. “Vice President Harris has ignored the border problem she created for over three years. She goes down there for 20 minutes for a photo op and decides to repeat some of the things the NPBC has said before. But again, where has she been the last 3 ½ years?” the Border Patrol Union wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
JUST IN: Kamala Harris visits the southern border for the first time in three years after letting over 10 million illegals enter the country.
Harris, who is suddenly pro-wall, previously called the wall Trump’s “medieval vanity project.”
JUST IN: Kamala Harris visits the southern border for the first time in three years after letting over 10 million illegals enter the country.
Harris, who is suddenly pro-wall, previously called the wall Trump’s “medieval vanity project.”
“Trump’s border wall is a complete waste… pic.twitter.com/ACSujRAeiP
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 27, 2024
The Border Patrol Union issued two more posts fact-checking Harris for her false claims feigning concern “38 days before the election.” The union added: “VP Harris asserted in Arizona that CBP needs more resources. We have apprehended over 8 million illegal immigrants over the last four years and now you realize we need more help 38 days before the election.”
“Fact check on the Harris speech in Douglas Arizona: Today, VP Harris claimed that she played a role in increasing Border Patrol Agent overtime pay,” the Border Patrol Union also wrote. “This couldn’t be further from the truth. As with all the things border related she was no where to be found when we needed her.”
Just hours before Harris arrived in Arizona, Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, issued a statement to Fox News’s Bill Melugin, describing Harris’s delayed border visit as “a slap in the face.” The statement read: “After years of not just ignoring the problem, but helping create it, Vice President Kamala Harris is finally headed down to the border. This is nothing more than for her to check the box, but what it is in reality is a slap in the face towards the men and women that put their lives on the line every day, and also a slap in the face to the American public. Where has she been?”
Trump also criticized the late-campaign visit. “For nearly four years, we have been living through the worst border crisis in the history of the world,” Trump said during a last-minute scheduled appearance at Trump Tower in New York on Thursday. “There’s never been anything like it, which has brought untold suffering, misery, and death upon our land. The architect of this destruction is Kamala Harris.”
Illegal immigration rose to prominence in the 2024 campaign after national news outlets reported several crimes committed by undocumented migrants, including the murders of Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, and Jocelyn Nungaray. In February, following Riley’s death, Trump vowed to launch the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
Harris conducted her border visit on the same day that newly released Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data revealed approximately 425,431 undocumented migrants have been convicted of crimes and 222,141 undocumented migrants with pending criminal charges remain undetained by ICE in the United States, according to Fox News. President Joe Biden appointed Harris to oversee the border crisis on March 24, 2021, just two months after taking office, as reported by the Associated Press. Consequently, Harris has been leading the management of the border crisis for 95% of Biden’s presidency.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.