Harris takes on immigration challenges as she steps up her candidacy

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit the southern U.S. border for the first time in more than three years to address the issue of immigration. She plans to call for tougher security measures, including new fentanyl detection machines and more Border Patrol agents. Harris also intends to press the Chinese government to crack down on companies producing precursor chemicals for fentanyl. Despite the Biden administration’s record of 10 million illegal border crossings, crossings have decreased since asylum restrictions were tightened. Harris has criticized Trump’s handling of immigration, accusing him of sabotaging bipartisan efforts to address the issue for political gain. A poll showed that more voters trust Trump to secure the border, but believe Harris would handle immigrants more humanely. The immigration debate is critical in Arizona, where ranchers like John Ladd have seen an increase in border apprehensions on their property. Ladd, who supported Trump’s stricter border policies, is skeptical of Harris and believes she wants open borders. Some residents in border communities, like City Council member Danya Acosta, are tired of the polarization surrounding immigration and have been swayed in their voting decisions by the failure to address the issue in a bipartisan manner. Acosta, who voted for Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, feels that the issue should not be politicized at the expense of those affected by it.

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