Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit the southern U.S. border to address the issue of immigration, calling for tougher security measures, including new fentanyl detection machines and more Border Patrol agents. Harris has been criticized for the record number of illegal border crossings since President Joe Biden took office, but she has emphasized her past work as California’s attorney general in prosecuting transnational gangs and drug traffickers. She has also attacked former President Trump for his efforts to derail a bipartisan border funding deal. A poll conducted by NBC News found that more registered voters trust Trump to handle securing the border, while more trust Harris to treat immigrants humanely and protect their rights.
The debate over immigration is crucial in battleground Arizona, where ranchers like John Ladd have experienced an increase in border apprehensions on their properties during the Biden administration compared to Trump’s time in office. Ladd is skeptical of Harris’ promises to address immigration issues and believes she wants an open border. However, City Council member Danya Acosta, who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, has been swayed by the failure of the bipartisan border bill and believes that political games are being played with people’s lives at the border. Overall, the issue of immigration remains heated and polarized in border communities, with residents feeling frustrated by the political rhetoric and lack of concrete solutions.
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