As the country continues to process President Joe Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race, attention has swiftly turned to Vice President Kamala Harris. Although she has not been officially confirmed as the Democratic nominee, she has secured commitments from most of the necessary delegates, gained key endorsements from party leaders, and faces no public contestation for the nomination. It appears likely that Harris will be the Democratic nominee for president.
This shift has revitalized the Democratic base. Harris received $81 million in donations within 24 hours of the announcement—the highest single-day total for any presidential candidate. This surge of energy also presents an opportunity for the Democratic nominee to reshape the narrative around immigration.
Biden’s Rightward Shift on Immigration
Over the past two years, the Biden administration has moved significantly to the right on immigration policies, adopting measures that severely restrict the asylum process for migrants seeking humanitarian protection at the border. Biden also supported a bipartisan bill that would have granted new authorities to the executive branch to summarily deport migrants entering between ports of entry, without considering their asylum claims.
Vice President Harris’ likely nomination offers the Democratic party a chance to change the conversation. Harris can contrast Trump’s harsh proposals of mass deportation, which would isolate the U.S. from the world, with more sensible policies that address both national needs and values. The focus could shift to enhancing global competitiveness, providing a path to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants, and reimagining the immigration system in light of historic global displacement.
Harris’ Immigration Background
As a senator from California, Harris was the first to call for the resignation of then-Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen over Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, which led to the separation of over 3,000 children from their parents. She also strongly opposed the Trump administration’s attempt to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and urged DHS to quickly reinstate the program when the Supreme Court overturned the rescission.
Harris led a bipartisan effort, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, aimed at reducing visa backlogs for both family and employment-based green cards. As a presidential candidate, she proposed using executive actions to expand DACA and provide protections for other undocumented immigrants.
Harris’ Record on Immigration as Vice President.
In her role as vice president, Harris has focused more on global migration issues rather than domestic immigration policy. One of her early assignments was overseeing a diplomatic campaign to address the root causes of migration from northern Central America. At that time, nearly 41% of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The campaign sought to boost public and private investments in these regions to strengthen their economies and tackle corruption and violence.
This initiative was intended to be a long-term process. In 2021, Harris launched the “Partnership for Central America,” a public-private partnership to stimulate economic growth in the region. This project has helped secure over $5 billion in private investments and more than $300 million in U.S. aid. In February 2023, she also helped launch “Central America Forward,” a State Department effort combining economic development with efforts to combat corruption, reduce violence, and support marginalized communities in the region.
Shifting Realities of Migration
However, migration dynamics have shifted both domestically and globally. By the end of 2023, more than 117 million people were displaced worldwide—the highest number since World War II. In December, for the first time, 54% of encounters at the southern border involved citizens of countries other than Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. While the causes are complex, migration from northern Central America has significantly decreased since the start of the Biden administration, whereas encounters with other nationalities have risen.
Any presidential candidate will face a deadlocked Congress, but the president has significant power to shape and implement immigration policy. Harris, given her track record and background as a child of immigrants, is well-positioned to challenge the harmful misinformation about immigrants during the 2024 presidential race.
As the new presumptive Democratic candidate for president, she must remind Americans of the consequences of Trump’s proposed immigration policies. She must shift the perspective from fearing immigrants to recognizing their talent and culture as integral to the nation’s fabric.