As Harris Adopts a Tough-on-Border Approach for the Elections, Progressives Hope it is Only Temporary

The Democratic Party has seen a right-ward shift in immigration amid the unprecedented influx of migrants through the southern border since 2021, with many advocating to close down the border and restrict asylum seeking options. But as the elections quickly approach, will this be just a temporary shift? Progressive organizations hope so.

During her tenure as Vice President, Kamala Harris has dramatically shifted from framing herself as a longtime immigrant advocate to a tough border hawk.

The most apparent example comes from her involvement in dealing with the "root causes" of immigration, a lofty initiative led by Harris which sought to address the challenges of mass migration through the U.S. development aid to Central America.

In accepting the task, Harris made her role more specific, describing largely diplomatic responsibilities.

"I look forward to engaging in diplomacy with the government, with the private sector, with civil society and with the leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to strengthen democracy and the rule of law and ensure shared prosperity in the region," she said at the time. "We will collaborate with Mexico and other countries throughout the Western Hemisphere."

Now, she has continuously pledged to sign a White House-backed bipartisan bill that failed during the current Congress that would significantly restrict asylum, continue building a border wall, and dedicate historic levels of funding to detain undocumented immigrants.

"I refuse to play politics with our security," Harris said during her speech accepting her party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention last month. "[I will] bring back the bipartisan border security bill that [Trump] killed and sign it into law."

Immigration has been a central focus during the 2024 election cycle, and as more constituents say they want tougher immigration, the Democratic party has adopted a tougher-approach.

But while some progressive groups are out-spoken about their support the Vice President in her bid to the White House, they are also quietly hoping that her rhetoric is just a posture to help her win in November, and that she'd govern closer to the more liberal stances she held during the 2020 Democratic primary, Axios reports.

Several organizations have made clear they would oppose Harris if she tried to pass the border bill next year, as president.

For instance, Kerri Talbot, executive director of the Immigration Hub, told Adios the group "still opposes this bill." Adding that "if you take out the Ukraine aide that was originally part of the compromise, it's just a Republican bill."

Talbot also says she trusts Harris to make "the right decisions" when she's in office, asserting that the bill will not "come up again, as is."

Likewise, David Stacy, vice president of government affairs at the Human Rights Campaign, told Axios the bill "undermines asylum protections for LGBTQ+ people fleeing violence."

Lawmakers alike are also pushing aside their views temporarily to support Harris. Notably, California Sen. Alex Padilla, who replaced Harris in the chamber after she became Vice President, said in May that the border bill "contains some of the same tried and failed politics that would actually make the situation worse at the southern border."

But Padilla also said Harris "is the only candidate in this race who also values keeping families together and providing a pathway to citizenship for long-term residents. And I'm proud to support her."

At a recent radio interview, Harris talked about her plans on immigration.

"We have to have immigration policy that understands that we can fight for our Dreamers, and provide a pathway to citizenship for those who have earned it," she said. "We can keep families together, and we can secure the border."

Axios requested the Harris campaign an interview with the Vice President to discuss her position on immigration. But a campaign spokesperson declined, the news outlet reports.