CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris made an aggressive transfer to chop into Donald Trump’s polling lead on immigration, traveling to the southern border for the primary time because the Democratic nominee on Friday to put out her plans to deal with what she described as an issue that has languished for many years.
Harris, throughout her journey to the important thing swing state of Arizona, lambasted Trump for his function earlier this yr in tanking a border security bill that was the product of months of bipartisan negotiations.
It was certainly one of Harris’ extra particular coverage speeches since turning into the Democratic nominee, making an attempt to make use of her previous as California’s lawyer common to show that she has what it takes to assault Trump on his signature subject.
“It was the strongest border safety invoice we’ve got seen in many years. It was endorsed by the Border Patrol union. And it needs to be in impact in the present day, producing leads to actual time, proper now, for our nation,” she mentioned at a rally in Douglas, a city on the US-Mexico border.
“However Donald Trump tanked it. He picked up the telephone and referred to as some buddies in Congress and mentioned, ‘Cease the invoice,’” she mentioned. “He prefers to run on an issue as a substitute of fixing an issue. And the American individuals deserve a president who cares extra about border safety than enjoying political video games and their private political future.”
The previous president responded to Harris’ border journey by amping up his personal rhetoric on immigration. Highlighting violent crimes dedicated by undocumented immigrants, Trump instructed a crowd in Walker, Michigan, that Harris “delivered these horrors.”
“She unleashed these atrocities, and blood is on her arms at a degree that, most likely, no person’s ever seen on this nation,” he mentioned.
Trump additionally falsely once more accused Democrats of letting individuals enter the nation illegally as a result of “they need the votes.” Non-citizens cannot vote in US elections — a actuality ignored by Trump, who for years has lied about widespread fraud within the 2020 election.
The Democratic offensive on immigration and border safety is an try to chop into certainly one of Trump’s clearest-cut political benefits. A CNN poll carried out by SSRS launched this week discovered the previous president is trusted by 49% of possible voters to deal with immigration, whereas Harris is trusted by 35%.
Harris on Friday additionally laid out proposals to strengthen restrictions which have largely barred migrants from looking for asylum in the USA. And he or she mentioned she would search paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants introduced into the USA as kids.
“They’re American in each means. However nonetheless, they don’t have an earned pathway to citizenship. And this drawback has gone unsolved at this level now for many years,” Harris mentioned.
The battle over immigration and border safety comes at a uncommon second this late in a presidential race by which consideration has shifted away from each events’ nominees.
Dozens of individuals had been killed as Hurricane Helene swept throughout the Southeast, inflicting large flooding. In the meantime, Israel has escalated its battle with Hezbollah with a strike on a constructing in Lebanon that it mentioned was storing missiles.
And each events’ vice presidential nominees are making ready to take middle stage subsequent week, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance meet for his or her one and solely debate Tuesday night time.
Fewer than six weeks from Election Day, the 2024 presidential map continues to be jumbled – with seven battleground states coming into focus.
A brand new CNN poll carried out by SSRS on Friday confirmed Harris with a snug lead for a single electoral faculty vote in Nebraska that might have outsized implications.
Nebraska awards one electoral faculty vote to the winner of every congressional district. The ballot of the Omaha-based 2nd District discovered Harris main within the state’s most liberal area, with 53% assist to Trump’s 42%.
That single electoral vote might be crucial if Harris sweeps the “blue wall” of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, however loses the 4 Solar Belt swing states – Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. That might depart her with 269 electoral faculty votes – and yet one more from Nebraska might give her the 270 wanted to win the White Home.
One other CNN ballot carried out by SSRS launched Friday discovered the 2 candidates tied in North Carolina at 48% every. Trump faces restricted paths to victory ought to he fail to carry North Carolina – the state the place he earned his slimmest margin of victory in 2020. And the CNN ballot discovered the scandal-plagued Republican nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, far behind his Democratic rival, because the occasion faces questions on whether or not Robinson might harm the general GOP ticket there in November.
The Trump marketing campaign and the Republican Nationwide Committee on Friday held a press name forward of Harris’ Arizona go to that includes three moms of these killed by undocumented immigrants or unintended fentanyl overdose who blamed the vp for what they described as an absence of accountability on border safety.
“This isn’t a secure time for Individuals. Kamala Harris has not acknowledged my daughter’s loss of life,” mentioned Patty Morin, the mom of Rachel Morin, who was raped and killed by a 23-year-old citizen of El Salvador. Rachel Morin was a mom of 5 herself.
“She is late coming to the desk on this. At any level, she might do one thing,” mentioned southern California mom Anne Fundner, whose 15-year-old son Weston died from a fentanyl overdose.
The decision was an effort to solid doubt on Harris’ proposals to deal with border safety, as Trump argues that she and President Joe Biden have had 4 years to take action and have failed.
After a dramatic drop, border crossings are presently at the lowest they’ve been since 2020. US officers have touted back-to-back months of low border crossings, citing latest government motion to curb asylum entry on the southern border.
Republicans have labeled Harris the Biden administration’s “border czar,” overstating the president’s extra restricted 2021 project for Harris to deal with the foundation causes of migration in Central America.
Harris on Friday sought to faucet into one other a part of her resume: Her time as California lawyer common. She highlighted efforts to prosecute members of transnational felony organizations, together with touring to Mexico Metropolis with different attorneys common to share intelligence on gangs and cartels.
“Stopping transnational felony organizations and strengthening our border is just not new to me, and it’s a long-standing precedence of mine,” she mentioned. “I’ve carried out that work, and I’ll proceed to deal with it as a precedence.”
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Ali Fundamental, Ariel Edwards-Levy and Equipment Maher contributed to this report.