Kamala Harris was unclear about her migration policy during a brief interview with CNN. When host Dana Bash asked her, "You raised your hand [in a 2019 debate] when asked whether or not the border should be decriminalized. Do you still believe that?" Harris initially presented herself as an opponent of illegal migration
“I believe there should be consequences,” Harris responded vaguely. “We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences.”
However, she did not specify any legal consequences for illegal migration. Additionally, since 2021, Harris has taken a back seat to border chief Alejandro Mayorkas on this issue.
Mayorkas has facilitated the entry of at least one million economic migrants into the United States through what he refers to as "legal pathways." At the same time, he claims to have imposed "consequences" for the millions of economic migrants who have quietly entered American neighborhoods and workplaces without detection.
Mayorkas’s lenient approach to migration has received strong support from West Coast investors who are backing Harris's 2024 campaign.
Later in the interview, Harris emphasized that her "values" have remained consistent.
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is: My values have not changed,” she stated.
She added, “My value around what we need to do to secure our border, that value has not changed.”
Her record, however, suggests that her values include a tolerance for significant migration into American society and the economy.
In July, Harris told CNN that she would address the border issue with legislation to “create a pathway to citizenship... the solutions are at hand.”
She has previously criticized the border wall, tweeting in 2017, “Trump’s border wall is just a stupid use of money. I will block any funding for it.” She further stated in 2018, “We should be using that money for infrastructure, Medicare for All, or tuition-free college.”
As a Senator, she voted against federal oversight of the “sponsors” who housed youthful job seekers under the Unaccompanied Alien Children program.
When asked by Bash why the Biden-Harris administration waited three and a half years to implement sweeping asylum restrictions, Harris deflected, stating:
“Well, first of all, the root causes work that I did as vice president, which I was asked to do by the president, has actually resulted in a number of benefits, including historic investments by American businesses in that region. The number of immigrants coming from that region has actually reduced since we began that work.
But I will say this: Joe Biden and I, and our administration, worked with members of the United States Congress on an immigration issue…”
The New York Times noted her shifting stance, reporting:
"In her first television interview as the Democratic nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris defended her ideological shift to the political center, saying she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet but promising 'my values have not changed.'"