Kamala Harris set to visit US-Mexico border amid immigration debate

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the US-Mexico border on Friday during a trip to Arizona, reported the New York Times citing sources. The visit aims to address immigration issues and counter former President Donald Trump's appeal to voters on this topic.
This visit marks Harris's first trip to the southern border since President Biden withdrew from the presidential race.Harris might discuss border issues during this visit, but final details about her itinerary are still being decided. The Harris campaign has not issued a comment yet.
Trump and Republicans have criticised Harris for the increase in migrants crossing the US-Mexico border in recent years. President Biden assigned Harris to address the root causes of migration from Latin America early in his administration.
Harris faced criticism for her performance in this role, especially after a 2021 interview with NBC News host Lester Holt, in which she noted she had not yet visited the southern border or Europe. This remark has been used in Trump campaign ads attacking her immigration record. Harris visited the border shortly after that interview.
Recently, border crossings have decreased to their lowest levels since Harris and Biden took office. However, a significant number of voters still believe Trump would handle immigration better. A New York Times/Siena College poll of three Sun Belt states, including Arizona, showed 54 per cent of likely voters trust Trump more on the issue, compared to 43 per cent for Harris.
Trump has a narrow lead in Arizona, a critical battleground state with many Hispanic voters. Although Harris has regained some support among Hispanic voters since replacing Biden on the ticket, she still polls below traditional Democratic levels.
Harris is also scheduled to attend fundraising events in San Francisco on Saturday and in Los Angeles on Sunday. She will conclude her West Coast trip with a campaign event in Nevada.
Harris has tried to appeal to sceptical voters by advocating for both border security and an "earned pathway to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants. She has also highlighted her efforts against transnational criminal groups as California attorney general.
At a recent Congressional Hispanic Caucus event, Harris warned that Trump would pursue extensive detentions and deportations of undocumented immigrants if re-elected. "Imagine what that would look like and what that would be," she said. "How’s that going to happen? Massive raids? Massive detention camps? What are they talking about?"
Harris also pointed out that Trump influenced his Republican allies in Congress to block a bipartisan border security deal this year, accusing him of political manoeuvring.