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Harris’ remarks on border security were very much aimed at these sort of voters, as many would prefer a bipartisan approach to an immigration overhaul while still enforcing existing laws. And by leaning into her experience as California’s attorney general and dealing with the prosecution of drug cartels, she is seeking to turn the page from Biden’s handling of the issue, which has been widely panned by voters in recent years.
“I reject the false choice that suggests we must either choose between securing our border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly and humane,” Harris said during her Friday speech. “We can and we must do both.”
Trump isn’t ceding ground on the issue
Trump’s 2016 candidacy was driven by his hardline stance on immigration and his 2024 campaign has largely stuck to the same messaging.
The biggest exception is that Trump used Biden’s immigration stumbles to build a significant advantage over the president on the issue. But that was before Biden stepped aside as the presumptive nominee and Harris became the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer.
Harris has needled Trump on the issue in a way that Biden was not able to do effectively, as the president at the time was also dealing with high apprehensions at the border and migrants being sent by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott to cities like Chicago and New York.
Harris accused Trump on Friday of “playing political games” with border security and emphasized her commitment to tackling fentanyl smuggling and human trafficking should she win the White House.
Trump has retained a significant polling edge on the issue — but that lead has been narrowing.
A newly released NBC News poll showed Trump with a 21-point lead (54% to 33%) over Harris among registered voters regarding border security. It was the former president’s biggest advantage on any of the major issues that were polled, including the economy.
However, Trump’s lead on immigration issues is down from a 35-point advantage that he previously had over Biden in an NBC News survey conducted in late January.
Trump has been highly critical of Harris’ efforts to blast his border security stances. In advance of the vice president’s trip to Arizona, he again sought to tie her to Biden.
“She should go back to the White House and tell the president to close the border,” the former president said.
With a little over a month before the general election, Trump’s advantage appears to be slipping, which could be an enormous boost to Harris in Georgia and North Carolina — where victories by the vice president would very likely send her to the Oval Office.