Ahead of the Republican National Convention (RNC) next week, the GOP released an unlisted YouTube video on Friday that targets Vice President Kamala Harris' role as President Joe Biden's "border czar."
The video entitled, "RNC Kamala Harris Video" opens with a breaking announcement that says, "Warning, the following may upset liberals who don't want voters to know the truth about Kamala Harris."
It then proceeds to criticize the Biden administration's border policies, claiming that "10 million and counting" illegal immigrants have flooded over the U.S.-Mexico border since Harris was tasked with addressing the issue.
A key moment in the video features a clip from a June 2021 NBC News interview with journalist Lester Holt where Harris defended her approach when it comes to issues at the southern border. In the cutaway, Holt asks, "Do you have any plans to visit the border?" Harris then responds, "I'm here in Guatemala today at some point, you know, we are going to the border. We've been to the border. So, this whole thing about the border, we've been to the border."
The interview then cuts back to Holt asking, "You haven't been to the border?" Concluding with Harris responding, "And I haven't been to Europe. And I don't...understand the point that you're making." The video then plays a loop of Harris laughing throughout the dialogue.
The Republican-produced content also scrutinizes Harris' tenure as San Francisco's district attorney, alleging that she "allowed illegal immigrant drug dealers to enter job training and have their criminal records wiped clean." The video then claims that one such individual "went on to steal an SUV and ran down a young woman, seriously injuring her."
Furthermore, the GOP criticizes Harris' support for sanctuary city laws and her advocacy for taxpayer-funded health care for undocumented immigrants. The video concludes by asserting that Harris is "dangerously liberal on illegal immigration."
Newsweek has contacted Harris' office and the GOP for further comment via email on Saturday.
The video comes amid significant developments in the Biden administration's immigration policy. Last month, Biden signed an executive order to restrict asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, using a controversial regulation last introduced by his predecessor. The order effectively caps the number of migrants able to cross into the U.S. daily and allows for swift deportation once illegal entries surpass 2,500 per day over a seven-day average.
The executive order, which uses Section 212(f), a law dating from the 1950s, has drawn criticism from civil rights organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced plans to sue the administration, with Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer at the ACLU, stating, "We need solutions to address the challenges at the border, but the administration's planned executive actions will put thousands of lives at risk."
Recent data shows that daily border crossings have dropped from the record 10,000 seen in December 2023, according to The New York Times.
The GOP's intense focus on Harris comes as recent polls show her performing competitively against former President Donald Trump in hypothetical 2024 matchups.
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted between July 5 to 9 of 2,431 adults found Harris leading Trump by three points overall (49 to 46 percent) and among registered voters (49 to 47 percent). The same poll indicated Harris would perform better than Trump among women (52 to 44 percent) and Hispanics (56 to 40 percent). The margin of error is 2 percentage points.
Some recent polls were conducted before gaffes made by President Biden, including mistakenly referring to Harris as "Vice President Trump" during a NATO press conference. Such missteps, like his lackluster debate performance against Trump in late June, have fueled speculation about Biden's fitness for office and increased pressure on him to end his reelection bid.
Despite these challenges, Harris has consistently expressed support for Biden's 2024 campaign. During this week's NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Biden himself reaffirmed his commitment to running, stating, "I'm not handing off to another generation; I've got to finish this job. I've got to finish this job because there's so much at stake."
Update 7/13/24, 4 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Adeola Adeosun is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news, ... Read more
