It’s one of the most visible changes since Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee: tougher talks on the border, an emphasis on law enforcement and prosecution of smugglers, and renewed support for a bipartisan bill that would continue building the wall and hire more Border Patrol agents. . His convention speech and first debate performance supported that. And for the most part, the left of his party fell in line — the imperative to defeat Donald Trump was too strong.
But that balance is being tested. The vice president made his first trip to the southern border on Friday, visiting the small town of Douglas, Arizona. And some fissures are becoming more apparent among progressive activists, who worry that Harris is too easily embracing a bipartisan border bill and not doing enough for pro-immigrant policies.
Progressives are caught between two extremes: They can’t give much ground on their preferred policies, but they’re wary of hurting Harris’s campaign, thereby helping anti-immigrant bigot Donald Trump. That first priority was influential after Harris was nominated. But now some activists worry they are giving up too much in the name of political expediency.
A “There’s a real tension that exists right now in our movement,” Vanessa Cardenas, a longtime strategist and executive director of the pro-immigrant group America’s Voice, told me. “We are concerned about the emphasis on borders, but we also understand that [Kamala Harris] It is our best vehicle to move towards the goal we all want.”
So as Harris talks about American “sovereignty,” hiring more border agents, and introducing more fentanyl detection machines, old questions are resurfacing: Will he also embrace growing calls for openness to immigration, expanded asylum protections, and legal pathways? And will he promise to pass some immigration reform for those already living here?
His campaign, at least, says he is: they point to the comments Supports legal immigration“protection[ing] Our dreamers“And starting this month, a “pathway to citizenship” is being developed. But advocates want to hear more.
For a while, these pro-immigrant comments tended to come off as an afterthought, while Harris made a strong case for enforcement and blamed Trump for sabotaging the much-discussed Senate bill. Harris’ promise to revive and pass that law has long worried pro-immigrant groups — so much so that 83 local, state, national and international groups led by United We Dream and Amnesty International USA Letter to President Joe Biden and Harris made clear earlier this month that they would “organize now and in the future against the damaging Senate border bill.”
“It is a shame that instead of investing in seeking safety and better lives and welcoming those who make our country better in every way, we would rather waste our resources on ineffective, inefficient prevention policies that harm and kill them. Same man,” the letter read.
And yet, less than a week later, United We Dream is officially the political and electoral wing approval Harris said they will “do everything in our power to keep our people alive and safe so we can organize for years to come.”
“We will continue to push for immigration policies that focus on the lives and well-being of all immigrants,” said United We Dream Action Senior Political Director Bruna Salod. “We have selected Harris as our next organizational target and look forward to holding him accountable over the next four years.”
At the same time, some groups hope that Harris’s tougher stance is temporary — changing times require rhetoric — and that he will become more liberal as president.
“We all know and trust Harris to make the right decisions when he’s in office,” Kerry Talbot, executive director of the liberal immigration hub group, said. told Axios earlier this month.
They’re also skeptical that the border bill Harris is pushing for will become law in its current form: “I don’t think this bill will ever come around, as it is,” Talbott said.
Some progressives on the Hill feel the same way. “When we have a majority in the House, and hopefully keep the Senate, and keep the White House, we can scratch that Senate bill and actually make one. democratic The bill that addresses the root causes at the border and is really focused on humanitarian relief and real solutions,” Illinois Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez told me. “But we will be in a different situation from January.”
For now, the truce seems to be holding — at least mostly. Criticism remains measured. Advocates acknowledged that a visit to the border would likely focus on that. But they expect him to be more specific going forward.
“We want to see a presidency that makes it clear from day one that we need to build a modern, safe, and orderly and fair immigration system, through congressional and administrative and executive powers, so that people actually have legal access. It will reduce unauthorized immigration, because the evidence will actually work,” said Todd Schulte, president of the criminal and immigrant justice group FWD.us.
And advocates acknowledge that public opinion has shifted in the post-Trump era, becoming more hostile and suspicious of immigrants. On Friday, the Pew Research Center released its latest survey of American voters. Opinions about immigration and immigration policy. It’s no surprise that the vast majority of Trump supporters support Trump’s plan to massively deport undocumented immigrants — but it’s notable that only about a third of Harris supporters do. Large majorities of both Trump (96 percent) and Harris supporters (80 percent) also support improved border enforcement. And perhaps more significant for immigration activists: The share of voters who say undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country legally if “certain requirements are met,” fell nearly 20 points, from 77 percent in 2017 to 59 percent this year.
Public sentiment can still change — and opinion polls show that some segments of the electorate trust him more than they trust Biden on immigration. The truce may still hold, but it’s clear that if Harris wins the White House, there will be no easy answers — policy or politically — on immigration.
