Inhabitants of border areas in Texas and Arizona have expressed discontent with the state of the southern border under President Biden’s watch. They’ve voiced their skepticism regarding potential improvements should Vice President Kamala Harris assume the presidency. Residents from these states had a conversation with Fox News Digital where they articulated their viewpoints on Harris’ role as a ‘border ambassador.’
‘We’re at a dire situation as it is,’ expressed an inhabitant of Yuma, ‘border security is virtually non-existent.’ A citizen of Sierra Vista in Arizona characterized Harris’ approach to the southern border during her vice-presidency as ‘Inadequate and practically invisible. She has done nothing but further open up the borders.’
‘Her involvement in border matters is invisible. On a scale of 0 to 10, I wouldn’t be able to give her even one point,’ stated a resident of Arivaca, Arizona, commenting on Harris’ actions relating to the border. ‘The border is virtually porous. Individuals merely traverse across, hold their position until they’re picked up, and then they’re relocated somewhere within the U.S,’ the Yuma citizen added.
The proprietor of a firearms store in Del Rio, Texas, criticized the Vice President for failing to contribute to the improvement of border security. Even though Harris visited an immigrant processing center in El Paso in 2021, the resident stated that she had never truly visited the border itself. A zero ranking was also assigned to her by the Del Rio inhabitant with reference to her handling of immigration, and the belief was voiced that the border conflict would likely ‘escalate’ under Harris.
Illegal crossings along the southern border, which had started to escalate during the final months of the Trump administration, saw an explosive rise with Biden’s presidential tenure. President Biden also reversed a range of policies from the Trump era and sought to implement a suspension on deportations.
As numbers shot up, Harris was given the task of addressing ‘root causes’—issues such as environment changes, poverty, and violence that the administration presumes is compelling migrants to move north. This assignment quickly led to Harris obtaining a nickname from both media agencies and Republicans alike—the ‘border czar.’
The White House has opposed this moniker, but it has persistently been associated with Harris and has contributed to her being recognized along with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as crucial figures in the crisis. Texas continues to vote consistently Republican in presidential elections since 1980, but Arizona has proved to be a significant battleground state.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden managed to win over Arizona by a marginal vote share. This was a historic win making him the first Democrat to secure the state since the victory of Bill Clinton in 1996. The state is predicted to be a strongly contested one once again in 2024, given that no Republican presidential win has ever occurred without securing Arizona.
Recent times have seen a downward trend in illegal crossings at the border, a drop from the all-time high levels witnessed last year. This change has occurred in response to the tightened border control measures undertaken by the Biden administration in the lead up to the election year.