In her first presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris promised to close all privately run immigration detention centers “on day one.” But her record at the southern border continues to face fierce criticism.
A resurfaced video clip shows then-Senator Harris during her 2020 candidacy at a town hall meeting in Iowa City, Iowa, in October 2019.
“I want to know if you were president, would you support closing immigration detention centers?” one participant is heard asking.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and migrants at the southern border. Harris had previously promised to close all privately run immigration detention centers. (Getty Images)
“Absolutely, on the first day. On the first day,” Harris replied.
Fox News Digital has asked the Harris team whether their stance has changed.
Senator Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas) posted the footage on his social media feed.
“If she tells you who she is… believe her,” he wrote.
In the July 2024 fiscal year, more than 37,000 migrants were held in 18 private detention facilities, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (ICE). Just over 10,000 of these migrants have criminal records, while about 4,600 still have criminal charges pending against them.
On Monday, ICE announced several arrests, including the deportation of a Brazilian man wanted for attempted murder who was caught and released at the southern border in March. A man from the Dominican region was also arrested and charged with fentanyl trafficking in Massachusetts after being caught and released at the border in February.
President Biden recently praised the decline in illegal border crossings. (Getty Images)
A migrant from Guatemala was arrested in Rhode Island and charged with child abuse. He was caught at the border during the Obama administration and released. Also arrested was an Ecuadorian “refugee” who was charged with rape and kidnapping in Massachusetts.
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As vice president, Harris was appointed by President Biden to serve as border “czar” to combat illegal immigration from Central America.
Since announcing her presidential campaign, Republicans have criticized Harris for the Biden administration’s record at the border, during which record numbers of illegal immigrants were released into the United States.
In 2018, Harris compared Homeland Security to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Senator Harris asked Ronald Vitiello, former President Trump’s nominee to lead ICE, whether he was “aware” of the perception of parallels between ICE and the KKK.
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“Are you aware that there is a perception that ICE exercises its power in a way that causes fear and intimidation, particularly among immigrants and specifically immigrants from Mexico and Central America?” she asked.
In a 2018 interview with MSNBC, Harris said there was a lot wrong with ICE and its “behavior.”
“I think there’s no question that we need to take a critical look at ICE, its role, the way it’s managed and the way it does its work,” she said. “And we probably need to think about starting over.”
