New Harris border security ads mark 180 from years of liberal immigration advocacy
Republicans says Vice President Kamala Harris has been weak on border security as President Biden's 'border czar' and earlier as a senator and state AG
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Harris campaign released a new ad touting Vice President Kamala Harris’ work as a California prosecutor to crack down on the border, a seemingly different message than the one she attempted to highlight while preparing to be sworn in as a U.S. senator.
"Kamala Harris has spent decades fighting violent crime. As a border state prosecutor, she took on drug cartels and jailed gang members for smuggling weapons and drugs across the border," the ad, titled, "Tougher," says.
The ad also points to the Democratic presidential nominee’s time as vice president, arguing she "backed the toughest border control bill in decades. And as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The bill referenced in the ad, a bipartisan agreement between President Biden and a handful of senators, was voted down by Republicans in the Senate in February. A later attempt to revive the bill was also rejected by GOP lawmakers in May, despite the president’s plea for lawmakers to "stop playing politics" with border security.
Vice President Kamala Harris. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Harris has vowed to revive the legislation again as president.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris," the ad states.
The ad comes as Harris attempts to go on the offensive on border security, an issue Republicans have sought to highlight as one of her weaknesses after the Biden administration saw record levels of illegal border crossings, most notably after the vice president was put in charge of solving the "root causes" of illegal immigration.
However, the tough-on-the-border history the Harris campaign is seeking to highlight seemingly stands in stark contrast to Harris’ message when she was first elected to the Senate in 2016, when the then-senator elect touted her record of "defending immigrants and refugees" after learning she was tapped to serve on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris tours a U.S. Border Patrol Station in El Paso, Texas, on June 25, 2021. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
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"I’m proud to have had a long career as a prosecutor protecting public safety and defending immigrants and refugees," Harris wrote in a post on Medium at the time.
"Here in California, I fought to pass laws that protect immigrant victims of crime and illegal retaliation for undocumented immigrants who report crimes," she continued. "And during our campaign, I was a leading voice for increasing — not stopping — the number of asylum seekers our country accepts from Syria and other war-torn countries."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, Republicans have continued to attack Harris’ record on the border, releasing an ad last month that labeled the vice president "weak" and "dangerously liberal" on border security.
Former President Trump has also leaned into the attacks on Harris, taking to Truth Social Sunday to highlight the vice president’s record as the so-call "border czar" of the Biden administration.
Former President Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Kamala Harris was put in sole charge of the Border," Trump said. "It quickly became the WORST AND MOST DANGEROUS BORDER IN HISTORY. As President, Harris will completely DESTROY OUR COUNTRY!"
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.