Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border during a campaign stop in Arizona on Friday, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to Scripps News.
Immigration is one of the most important issues to voters in this election cycle and a potential vulnerability for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Former President Donald Trump has placed blame on the Biden-Harris administration for increased border crossings during their time in office.
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“There’s never a border in the whole world that’s leaked like this border," Trump said during a visit to Arizona in August.
A Scripps News/Ipsos survey found that Trump holds a ten-point advantage (44% to 34%) in terms of whom respondents believe will handle immigration better.
Harris has expressed support for the bipartisan immigration reform bill that would have hired more border patrol and asylum-screening officers, created an emergency authority to "close" the border if unlawful entries reached a predetermined number and increased the credible fear threshold for asylum seekers.
Trump was opposed to the bill, prompting Republicans to ultimately kill it.
During the campaign, Trump has said he plans to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally. The Scripps News/Ipsos poll found 54% of respondents said they “strongly” or "somewhat support” the policy, including 86% of Republicans, 58% of independents, and 25% of Democrats.
President Joe Biden in June announced executive actions to stem the flow of asylum claims at the southern border. Since then, illegal crossings have decreased more than 50%, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
