Republicans are criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris’s second scheduled trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as an “election-year stunt,” saying she has been central to orchestrating immigration problems in the United States.
The vice president is expected to visit the border wall in Arizona during a planned trip to the state on Friday. CNN first reported
Harris previously visited El Paso, Texas, in June 2021, where she visited a Border Patrol processing center and screening area for migrants seeking asylum.
But he never visited the border itself and has since come under heavy criticism from Republicans for shirking his role as Biden’s “border czar.”
On their second trip to the border, coming just weeks before Election Day and at a time when concerns about immigration and border security remain top of mind among voters, Republican lawmakers say the trip is misleading after years of inaction.
And voters will not easily forget it, they warn.
Vice President Kamala Harris stands away from the U.S.-Mexico border, June 25, 2021, at the airport after her tour of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. She is reportedly planning to visit the border for the second time as vice president this week.
“I guess she found her compass,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., joked of Harris’ trip to DailyMail.com. “She knows where south is.”
“I think it’s a little late,” he continued. “There are 14 million people crossing the border and 300,000 missing children. It’s pathetic.”
Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds similarly said that “it’s too late.”
“It’s 100% an election year publicity stunt, just to say she did it, so she could have photos,” Donalds told DailyMail.com.
“He’s not serious. He’s only doing this because his poll numbers are falling by the day. He’s had three and a half years to fix it. Why didn’t you do it?”
“She’ll run around and say, ‘Look, I’m worried about this,'” he continued. “It’s all a lie.”
Sasabe, Arizona, where the cat-and-mouse business of human trafficking into the United States continues illegally in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert
Donalds also made a bold suggestion for fellow New York Democrat, progressive “Squad” leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was photographed crying at the U.S.-Mexico border when Donald Trump was president.
“AOC should go to the border and cry about the fact that little girls are being sold into sex slavery,” she said.
“That is Kamala Harris’ policy, that is Joe Biden’s policy that has put girls at risk at the southern border on both sides of the border.”
Texas Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne told DailyMail.com: “It’s about time” for Harris to visit the border.
He also said the trip must have been orchestrated because of Harris’ low poll scores on immigration-related issues.
“It’s a publicity stunt,” he said. “The only reason he’s going is because the polls show it’s a losing issue for them.”
Republican Reps. Beth Van Duyne and Byron Donalds criticized Vice President Harris’ trip to the border, calling it “too late.”
Border Patrol agents detain asylum seekers after they crossed a remote portion of the U.S.-Mexico border on Sept. 19, 2024 near Jacumba Hot Springs, California.
Recent polls have shown that Harris is not only trailing Trump in polls on border security and immigration issues, but some voters blame the vice president for the issue in the first place.
In 2021, Biden appointed Harris to task her with addressing the root causes of immigration.
Republicans then dubbed her the “border czar” and blamed her for numerous crises at the border wall as illegal immigration surged over the past two years.
Since President Joe Biden and Harris took control of the executive branch, illegal immigration has skyrocketed.
Estimates vary, but the common refrain in Republican circles on Capitol Hill is that at least 10 million migrants have been encountered at the border under the current administration.
Higher estimates, such as Trump’s, say there could be as many as 20 million or more.
And former President Donald Trump couldn’t resist weighing in on the vice president’s last-minute trip on his Truth Social app on Tuesday.
Border Patrol agents begin processing dozens of migrants after illegally crossing from Mexico
Vice President visits the screening area for asylum seekers entering Mexico, the secondary processing area for migrants, and the open-air vehicle screening area used to inspect vehicles crossing the border for illicit goods or activities during her 2021 trip
“When you see Kamala at the border on Friday, you will be passing hundreds of miles of wall built by Trump – and it’s a wall that works!” he wrote.
“When she speaks, keep in mind that this woman has allowed over 21 million people to enter our country, unchecked and from unknown locations. They are now creating criminal chaos across the country.”
“When she speaks, I hope everyone will remember that she has caused tremendous damage to our cities, towns and our country itself, and only I can fix it!” Trump concluded his statement.
Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills told DailyMail.com: “I applaud Kamala for trying to get to the border, but unfortunately, with 42 days to go until the election, it seems very political, but better late than never, right?”