Harris aims for an early start on immigration
The vice president is attempting to put the GOP, traditionally strong on immigration, on the defensive.
TroibNews 
Kamala Harris is launching a robust initiative on the border issue, addressing a significant vulnerability for the vice president and her campaign — an issue they recognize cannot be overlooked.
Harris' team believes that adopting a more proactive stance on immigration can help exploit former President Donald Trump’s vulnerabilities on this subject. These include his role in derailing a bipartisan Senate bill earlier this year and his controversial policies such as family separation.
At a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, Harris sought to shift the immigration debate by highlighting her border security efforts, both as California's state attorney general and as vice president. The Harris campaign released a new immigration-centric ad on social media stating, “Kamala Harris is fighting to fix our broken immigration system. Donald Trump is trying to stop her.”
According to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Harris campaign plans additional digital ads targeting Trump on immigration. They also plan to use surrogate events to amplify Harris’ message. Earlier this week, mayors from Arizona border cities endorsed Harris and will hold a press conference to underscore how, in their view, Vance and Trump have failed local communities by obstructing the border security deal.
Addressing immigration — traditionally a challenging issue for Democrats and particularly for Harris — has become a key strategic focus for her campaign. Aides and allies are working swiftly to define Harris on critical issues before the Republican party does. This strategy indicates Harris' aggressive stance against the onslaught of GOP attacks on the border.
Harris' team believes changing circumstances will support her narrative, especially focusing on Trump’s role in undermining the bipartisan border deal and his controversial first-term policies. Following the failure of border negotiations, President Joe Biden enacted an executive action to restrict asylum between ports of entry. Since the implementation of this new policy in June, illegal crossings have decreased by 55 percent, reaching the lowest levels since the end of Trump’s administration.
“She wants every American to know that the Biden-Harris administration negotiated a bipartisan border bill with House Republicans, and it was ready to pass. And it was Donald Trump who blocked it,” said Matt Barreto, president of BSP Research, a firm working with the Harris campaign. “That’s the truth, and she is going to tell that story.”
Immigration was the first topic Harris addressed in her speech on Tuesday night, citing her record as a border state attorney general dealing with transnational gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers. She also highlighted the White House’s earlier efforts to work with lawmakers on a bipartisan border deal, which Trump subsequently dismantled.
“Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been talking a big game about securing our border, but he does not walk the walk,” she said. “He tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election, which goes to show Donald Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself. And when I am president, I will actually work to solve the problem,” she added, promising to revive and sign the border security bill Trump had blocked.
The focus on immigration underscores its importance to voters this cycle, despite being one of Harris' primary political liabilities. Polls indicate immigration is a top concern for voters, and more of them trust Trump over Harris on this issue.
White House and campaign aides have been refining Biden’s immigration messaging, driven by concerns that chaotic border images could alienate independent and suburban voters. This led to Biden's asylum crackdown in June and motivated congressional Democrats to pursue related legislation.
For the first time, Democrats in Washington have unified around a consistent immigration message. After the bipartisan border legislation failed, the party adopted the issue, inspired by Rep. Tom Suozzi’s successful campaign strategy of advocating for stronger border security.
Suozzi has communicated with Harris' aides, conveying the urgent need for her to confront the immigration issue directly.
“That’s exactly what she needs to do. So I’m excited that she’s done it as early as she has,” Suozzi said. “It’s a top-of-mind issue, and you can’t ignore it. And the answer is to lean into it, and to say — what would you do? And she has said, she would’ve done the bipartisan deal.”
Harris is contending with exaggerated claims from Republicans, who have labeled her the "border czar" with misleading implications about her role. Biden tasked Harris with addressing root causes of migration in Central America, a role Republicans have leveraged to target her amid administrative changes and messaging issues.
Advocacy groups and campaign surrogates are working to shift the narrative by highlighting Harris' contributions to drafting the White House’s immigration policy and the subsequent decline in border crossings.
Beyond border security, Harris is preparing to criticize Trump on other unpopular policies such as mass deportations, while promoting the Biden administration’s efforts to grant legal protections to long-term undocumented individuals. This approach allows Harris to highlight Trump’s controversial family separation policy.
“While Vice President Harris was a senator, she did hold the Trump administration accountable for child separations. She did press them on that,” Barreto said. “And I would expect that she will stand up for and promote both border security and the integration of long-term immigrants simultaneously.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Harris' team believes that adopting a more proactive stance on immigration can help exploit former President Donald Trump’s vulnerabilities on this subject. These include his role in derailing a bipartisan Senate bill earlier this year and his controversial policies such as family separation.
At a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, Harris sought to shift the immigration debate by highlighting her border security efforts, both as California's state attorney general and as vice president. The Harris campaign released a new immigration-centric ad on social media stating, “Kamala Harris is fighting to fix our broken immigration system. Donald Trump is trying to stop her.”
According to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Harris campaign plans additional digital ads targeting Trump on immigration. They also plan to use surrogate events to amplify Harris’ message. Earlier this week, mayors from Arizona border cities endorsed Harris and will hold a press conference to underscore how, in their view, Vance and Trump have failed local communities by obstructing the border security deal.
Addressing immigration — traditionally a challenging issue for Democrats and particularly for Harris — has become a key strategic focus for her campaign. Aides and allies are working swiftly to define Harris on critical issues before the Republican party does. This strategy indicates Harris' aggressive stance against the onslaught of GOP attacks on the border.
Harris' team believes changing circumstances will support her narrative, especially focusing on Trump’s role in undermining the bipartisan border deal and his controversial first-term policies. Following the failure of border negotiations, President Joe Biden enacted an executive action to restrict asylum between ports of entry. Since the implementation of this new policy in June, illegal crossings have decreased by 55 percent, reaching the lowest levels since the end of Trump’s administration.
“She wants every American to know that the Biden-Harris administration negotiated a bipartisan border bill with House Republicans, and it was ready to pass. And it was Donald Trump who blocked it,” said Matt Barreto, president of BSP Research, a firm working with the Harris campaign. “That’s the truth, and she is going to tell that story.”
Immigration was the first topic Harris addressed in her speech on Tuesday night, citing her record as a border state attorney general dealing with transnational gangs, drug cartels, and human traffickers. She also highlighted the White House’s earlier efforts to work with lawmakers on a bipartisan border deal, which Trump subsequently dismantled.
“Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been talking a big game about securing our border, but he does not walk the walk,” she said. “He tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election, which goes to show Donald Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself. And when I am president, I will actually work to solve the problem,” she added, promising to revive and sign the border security bill Trump had blocked.
The focus on immigration underscores its importance to voters this cycle, despite being one of Harris' primary political liabilities. Polls indicate immigration is a top concern for voters, and more of them trust Trump over Harris on this issue.
White House and campaign aides have been refining Biden’s immigration messaging, driven by concerns that chaotic border images could alienate independent and suburban voters. This led to Biden's asylum crackdown in June and motivated congressional Democrats to pursue related legislation.
For the first time, Democrats in Washington have unified around a consistent immigration message. After the bipartisan border legislation failed, the party adopted the issue, inspired by Rep. Tom Suozzi’s successful campaign strategy of advocating for stronger border security.
Suozzi has communicated with Harris' aides, conveying the urgent need for her to confront the immigration issue directly.
“That’s exactly what she needs to do. So I’m excited that she’s done it as early as she has,” Suozzi said. “It’s a top-of-mind issue, and you can’t ignore it. And the answer is to lean into it, and to say — what would you do? And she has said, she would’ve done the bipartisan deal.”
Harris is contending with exaggerated claims from Republicans, who have labeled her the "border czar" with misleading implications about her role. Biden tasked Harris with addressing root causes of migration in Central America, a role Republicans have leveraged to target her amid administrative changes and messaging issues.
Advocacy groups and campaign surrogates are working to shift the narrative by highlighting Harris' contributions to drafting the White House’s immigration policy and the subsequent decline in border crossings.
Beyond border security, Harris is preparing to criticize Trump on other unpopular policies such as mass deportations, while promoting the Biden administration’s efforts to grant legal protections to long-term undocumented individuals. This approach allows Harris to highlight Trump’s controversial family separation policy.
“While Vice President Harris was a senator, she did hold the Trump administration accountable for child separations. She did press them on that,” Barreto said. “And I would expect that she will stand up for and promote both border security and the integration of long-term immigrants simultaneously.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
