Can Kamala Harris find her footing on immigration?

This episode explores Vice President Kamala Harris's challenges and strategies in managing U.S. immigration policies, particularly her role in addressing the root causes of migration from Central America.

1. Kamala Harris was tasked with addressing migration's root causes but faced challenges and criticisms for her handling of the border issues.
2. Harris's comments like "Do not come" to potential migrants sparked controversy and highlighted the tension in U.S. immigration discourse.
3. Political opponents have leveraged her role in immigration to criticize her effectiveness and approach, impacting her public perception.
4. Changes in migration patterns and the nationality of migrants pose new challenges for U.S. immigration policy.
5. Harris's future strategies may focus on a mix of humanitarian responses and enforcing immigration laws, reflecting a complex political landscape.

1: Introduction

Overview of Vice President Kamala Harris's role and challenges in handling immigration under the Biden administration. Harris is scrutinized for her effectiveness and strategic choices.

• Ari Shapiro: "Kamala Harris has struggled to find her footing on immigration."

2: Political Backdrop

Discussion on the political implications of Harris's immigration role and the criticisms from various political figures.

• JD Vance: "She did serve as border czar during the biggest disaster open border that we’ve ever had in this country."

3: Analyzing the Impact

Analysis of Harris’s strategies and public statements on immigration, highlighting the broader implications for her political future.

• Kamala Harris: "Do not come. Do not come."

4: Forward Looking Strategies

Speculation on how Harris might address immigration if she pursues the presidency, focusing on policy shifts and potential political strategies.

• Sergio Martinez Beltran: "Messaging will matter a lot."

1. Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with immigration policies and their impacts.
2. Engage Politically: Participate in discussions and voting related to immigration policies.
3. Educate Others: Share accurate information about the complexities of immigration issues.
4. Support Humanitarian Efforts: Contribute to organizations that aid migrants.
5. Advocate for Fair Policies: Encourage lawmakers to consider both security and humanitarian aspects in immigration laws.

In just a matter of hours, a Kamala Harris for President campaign has gone from a far-flung possibility, to all but certain likelihood.

It puts the Vice President in a tricky spot. She's got to run on President Biden's achievements, while avoiding the more challenging aspects of his record.

Biden entrusted Harris with some of the most challenging parts of his portfolio, including voting rights, the rollback of reproductive rights and immigration.

Harris has struggled to find her footing on immigration. Early on, she faced criticism for having not visited the southern border.

As Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott started bussing migrants to northern cities, the Vice President's mansion in Washington DC became a drop-off point.

Even though Kamala Harris isn't yet the official nominee, both voters and the republican party will force her to answer for the Biden administration's immigration policies in this year's election.

People

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, JD Vance, Sergio Martinez Beltran

Content Warnings:

None

Ari Shapiro
In just a matter of hours, a Kamala Harris for president campaign has gone from a far flung possibility to an all but certain likelihood. It puts the vice president in a tricky spot. Shes got a run on President Bidens achievements while avoiding the more challenging aspects of his record. And Biden entrusted Harris with some of the most challenging parts of his portfolio, including voting rights, the rollback of reproductive rights, and immigration. I said when we became a team and got elected that the vice president's going to be the last person in the room she didn't realize.

Joe Biden
That means she gets every assignment. That's President Biden in the state dining room in March 2021. That day, he announced that Harris would be responsible for trying to address the root causes of the crisis on the US southern border. I've asked her, the vp today because she's the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that need help in stemming the movement of so many folks stemming the migration to our southern border. Since then, Harris has struggled to find her footing on immigration.

Ari Shapiro
Early on, she faced criticism for having not visited the southern border. Here she is with NBC's Lester Holtz. We've been to the border. You haven't been to the border and I haven't been to Europe, and I don't understand the point that you're making. As Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott started busing migrants to northern cities, the vice president's mansion in Washington, DC became a drop off point.

For the second time in less than a week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent another busload of migrants to the residents of Vice President Kamala Harris. They arrived early yesterday. Now President Joe Biden has stepped aside from the 2024 election race, and he's endorsed Harris to be the democratic nominee, Republicans have worked quickly to attack her on immigration. Here was GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaking sarcastically about Harris at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, over the weekend. We have to give her credit, my friends.

JD Vance
She did serve as border disar during the biggest disaster open border that we've ever had in this country. Let's get President Trump back there, close down that border, and bring some common sense and security to this country. Independent and swing voters also link Harris to problems at the border, says republican strategist Sarah Longwell, who describes herself as a never Trumper. That's one of the things I hear voters sort of on the Moore center right bring up about her is that, you know, she didn't do anything about the border. Consider even though Kamala Harris isn't yet the official democratic presidential nominee.

Ari Shapiro
Both voters and the Republican Party will force her to answer for the Biden administration's immigration policies in this year's election.

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Robert Smith
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Elsa Chang
This is nprehood.

Ari Shapiro
Its consider this from NPR. How could the Biden administrations record on immigration affect a Kamala Harris presidential candidacy? Thats a conversation my colleague Elsa Chang had with NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran. Okay, so Republicans have been attacking her, calling her the border czar. What exactly has been her role on immigration as vice president?

Sergio Martinez Beltran
Yeah. So she was tasked to lead a pretty broad effort of addressing and finding solutions to the root causes of migration from Central America, big issues like poverty, violence and corruption. But conservatives have tried to paint a picture that she's in charge of border policy, hence the made up, inaccurate term border czar. But that's the role of homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorcas. He's the one who manages all of the immigration agencies.

Ari Shapiro
Right. But clearly, immigration is one of the main issues that Harris is vulnerable on. Right. Tell us why. Well, in part because she has been shifting her policy positions over time.

Sergio Martinez Beltran
As a former DA in California and now as vice president, she's called Trump's border wall a medieval vanity project. And as a senator, she grilled Trump's immigration officials. But she has also angered immigration advocates. Also in 2021, for example, BP Harris went to Mexico and Guatemala, where she warned migrants who were thinking about crossing the border illegally. I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States Mexico border.

Kamala Harris
Do not come. Do not come. Those three words do not come sparked criticism from many immigration advocates and Democrats. They saw them as paternalistic and tone deaf, given all the issues in their home countries. I talked to Judith Brown Dianis with the civil rights group advancement project.

Sergio Martinez Beltran
She says Harris will now have to explain how she would tackle immigration as president. Is it a humanitarian response or is there a criminalization response? Right. That is not the way to go. We don't need more criminalization.

Ari Shapiro
We don't need a border wall. We need to get to root causes. We need to make sure that people are taken care of. Diane says this is an opportunity for Harris to move immigration in a different direction and talk about her policies. Right.

Elsa Chang
And the situation at the border. It's different now than when Harris was first tapped to focus on it. What exactly has changed? A few things. You know, one is the country of origin of migrants attempting to cross.

Sergio Martinez Beltran
In 2020, nearly 90% of migrants arrested at the southern border were from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. In 2023, that number went down about 49%. There was a big increase in the number of Venezuelans and folks from other south american countries. The other big change is the number of unauthorized migrants attempting to cross into the US. Last year, that number hit an all time high, although there has been a dramatic decrease over the last four months due to Mexico's enforcement and Biden's asylum restrictions.

Elsa Chang
Well, Republicans want to paint Harris as the one who's been responsible for those high numbers during the Biden years. So how might Harris push back on that republican argument, you think? Well, polling shows immigration is one of the most important issues for voters. Messaging will matter a lot. You know, Harris is likely to talk about how she pushed for bipartisan border reform deal that was defeated by Republicans at the urging of former President Trump that he's the one who killed the agreement.

Sergio Martinez Beltran
She's likely to use that during her campaign, but it may be a hard message to sell. That is NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran. Thank you so much, Sergio. You're welcome. This episode was produced by Mark Rivers and Jordan Marie Smith.

Ari Shapiro
It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Alfredo Carbajal. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. And one more thing before we go. You can now enjoy the consider this newsletter. We still help you break down a major story of the day, but youll also get to know our producers and hosts and some moments of joy from the All THInGs CONSiDered team.

You can sign up@npr.org consider this newsletter its consider this from NPR. Im Ari Shapiro.

New from the embedded podcast, elite female runners are being told they cant compete because of their biology, not only can you not compete? You're not actually female. Hear about the hundred year history of sex testing in women's sports and the hard choices these athletes are facing. Now listen to tested, a new series from CBC and NPR's Embedded podcast. This summer on Planet money, we're bringing you the entire history of the world, at least the economics part.

Robert Smith
It's Planet money summer school. Every week, we'll invite in a brilliant professor and play classic episodes about the birth of money, banks and finance. There will be rogues and revolutionaries and a lot of panics. Summer school every Wednesday till Labor Day on the Planet Money podcast from NPR.