Kamala Harris immigration policy reflects 'changing national mood'
Her emphasis is enforcement


Polls suggest voters trust Donald Trump more than Kamala Harris on immigration. Harris is trying to make up the difference with a hawkish platform on the topic.
Harris has "called for further tightening of asylum restrictions," said The Associated Press after the Democratic candidate visited the U.S. border with Mexico. Among her plans: "More serious criminal charges" for migrants who repeatedly cross the border illegally, as well as a new requirement that asylum claims be made only at official U.S. ports of entry. "I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose either between securing our border and creating a system that is orderly, safe and humane," she said during the border visit.
Most Democratic presidential candidates have usually framed immigration as a "matter of legalizing undocumented immigrants," Jennifer Rubin said at The Washington Post. Harris, though, treats the matter as a "law enforcement issue at the border." Border security is the first priority — after that, Rubin said, Democrats can turn to issues "ranging from temporary agricultural workers to dreamers to high-skill workers brought in under H-1B visas."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hawk, or 'faux border hawk?'
At her campaign website, Harris highlights her support for the bipartisan border security bill that Trump helped kill earlier this year. The bill would have provided new funding for 1,500 new border agents, as well as funding for "more detection technology to intercept fentanyl." (The legislation would also have "given the president greater authority to shut down the border when crossings are high" and closed some asylum loopholes, said The Washington Post.) Harris said she would revive that bill — part of an approach that includes both "strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship" for migrants, her website said.
Conservatives are skeptical. Harris is a "faux border hawk," Rich Lowry said at National Review. The Biden-Harris administration "tore up a border system that was working" and only turned back toward enforcement after realizing the resulting tide of migrants was a "political gift" for Trump. Harris can't erase that she "spoke out forcefully against immigration enforcement just a few years ago," Lowry said. As senator, she even sponsored bills to loosen enforcement. On immigration, "she wants to be something she's not."
'Shift that mirrors the far right'
There are also skeptics on the left. Harris "isn't fighting Trump on immigration policy," Anna Lekas Miller said at The Progressive. "She's echoing him." Her emphasis on border enforcement "symbolizes a significant shift that mirrors the far right" and leaves migrants and their advocates without a "meaningful alternative." The scuttled border bill that Harris favors did not include any "meaningful path to citizenship" for undocumented migrants, Miller said. Harris is "playing politics and shoving immigrants under the bus."
Harris' tough-on-migration message on immigration reflects a "changing national mood," Sahil Kapur said at NBC News. Tougher border controls will be a priority "regardless of which party wins the 2024 elections." That may be working for Democrats: A January poll showed Trump with a 35-point lead over President Joe Biden on the issue. As of late September, that lead — now against Kamala Harris — had narrowed to 21 points.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
5 immersive books to read this April for a brief escape
The Week Recommends A dystopian tale takes us to the library, a journalist's ode to her refugee parents and more
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'The winners and losers of AI may not be where we expect'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detentions and hostile treatment: is it safe to visit the US?
The Explainer Spate of interrogations and deportations at US border sparking decline in overseas visitors
By The Week UK Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Venezuelan deportees: Locked up for tattoos?
Feature A former pro soccer player was deported after U.S. authorities claimed his tattoo proved he belonged to a Venezuelan gang
By The Week US Published
-
'We should end this betrayal of man's best friend'
Instant Opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What is Starmer's £33m plan to smash 'vile' Channel migration gangs?
Today's Big Question PM lays out plan to tackle migration gangs like international terrorism, with cooperation across countries and enhanced police powers
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'Americans deserve immigration officials who are transparent about what they do and why'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Judge: Nazis treated better than Trump deportees
speed read U.S. District Judge James Boasberg reaffirmed his order barring President Donald Trump from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's TPS takedown
Feature The president plans to deport a million immigrants with protected status. What effects will that have?
By The Week US Published