JD Vance slams Kamala Harris over border policies during southern border visit

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance visited the U.S. southern border on Thursday, delivering a scathing critique of Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration's immigration policies.

Vance highlighted the record influx of immigrants at the southern border over the past four years, arguing that lax border policies have not only strained the immigration system but also enabled drug cartels to smuggle dangerous substances into the country, reports the Daily Wire.

"When they started their administration, Kamala Harris came into office making promises – and she kept those promises – to open the American Southern border," Vance stated from the border. He continued, "They stopped deportations on day one, they stopped construction of the border wall on day one. We see the border wall sitting here ready to be completed behind us, and that can't happen because of Kamala Harris' administration."

“They reinstated catch-and-release and they stopped Remain in Mexico, so all of these asylum claimants who come to our border, they can now get released into our country because they’re not forced to stay in Mexico while we adjudicate their asylum claims,” Vance said.

JD Vance is at the border, where is the border czar Kamala Harris…? pic.twitter.com/G3sy920K3a

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 1, 2024

Drawing from his personal experience with a mother who struggled with drug addiction, Vance emphasized the human cost of these policies. "The unfortunate truth is because of the poison that Kamala Harris has let come into this country, there are a lot of those prayers that won't be answered," he said, referring to families affected by drug-related issues.

“We have to remember that as terrible and idiotic as these policies were, they cause real human beings to suffer,” said Vance. “A lot of you know my story and I have been a little kid waiting at the bedside of his mother, angry that his mom took something that she shouldn’t have taken, but praying to God, please, Jesus, let her wake up.”

“The unfortunate truth is because of the poison that Kamala Harris has let come into this country, there are a lot of those prayers that won’t be answered,” he continued. “There are a lot of kids out there who have been deprived of second chances with their moms and dads. There are a lot of moms and dads out there who will never see their kids walk down the aisle because of what Kamala Harris has unleashed at this border.”

Immigration has become a contentious issue in American politics, with recent Gallup polling showing that 55% of Americans favor decreasing immigration levels. As the 2024 election approaches, it remains a top concern for voters, with Harris's role in addressing migration from Central American countries under particular scrutiny.