Kamala Harris Faces Criticism Over 2019 Immigration and Transgender Surgery Stances.
Vice President Kamala Harris is facing scrutiny after a 2019 questionnaire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) resurfaced. The document reveals her views on immigrant detention and transgender surgeries, which contrast with her recent centrist positions since launching her presidential campaign.
The five-year-old questionnaire, recently highlighted by CNN, remained on the ACLU’s website and shows Harris supported taxpayer-funded gender surgeries for detained immigrants, arguing such care is “medically necessary.” She also advocated for closing all ICE facilities, criticizing them as “out of control.”
Harris’s views present a challenge given her recent policy shifts. Despite her claims that her “values” have not changed, her 2020 presidential campaign promises to reduce illegal immigrant detention by 50% have come under scrutiny. The Biden-Harris administration has overseen the highest number of illegal immigrant apprehensions in U.S. history, with over 10 million encounters since February 2021.
In the 2019 questionnaire, Harris criticized the U.S. detention system, calling it “out of control” and pledging to pass the DONE (Detention Oversight Not Expansion) Act. This proposed legislation aimed to cut detention numbers by 50% and stop funding for new detention facilities.
Currently, only a small percentage of illegal immigrants are detained by ICE due to concerns about public safety or national security. Harris’s stance on transgender immigrants included support for access to gender transition treatments, a position she maintained from her time as California Attorney General. She emphasized that transition treatment should be considered a medical necessity for federal prisoners and detainees.
The Harris campaign addressed the controversy by pointing out that her 2019 positions do not reflect her current policy proposals. Campaign spokesman Michael Tyler stated, “That questionnaire is not what she is proposing or running on.” He added that Harris is committed to signing a bipartisan border security bill into law, which was previously blocked by former President Donald Trump.
However, a co-author of the Senate border security bill indicated on August 27 that the bill’s time has passed and will not be revived, raising questions about the feasibility of Harris’s commitment.
In her recent speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president in Chicago, Harris outlined her approach to border issues. She reaffirmed her intention to sign a bipartisan border bill if it reaches her desk, reflecting concerns about the impact of high border crossings on the upcoming election.