At a town hall on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris faced intense questioning from CNN’s Anderson Cooper regarding the Biden administration’s record on immigration, particularly the timing of executive actions taken to address the issue. The discussion arose after a Drexel University student asked Harris about the state of immigration in the U.S., prompting her to acknowledge the longstanding issues within the system.
“America’s immigration system is broken, and it needs to be fixed. And it’s been broken for a long time,” Harris said, reaffirming a sentiment shared by many lawmakers and citizens alike. She criticized former President Donald Trump for halting a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year, which she argued would have made significant strides toward solving the issue. “As my opponent has proven himself, he would prefer to run on the problem instead of fix the problem,” she remarked, alluding to Trump’s role in stalling the bill in Congress.
However, the conversation quickly shifted when Anderson Cooper pressed Harris on the administration’s handling of record-high border crossings in 2022 and 2023. Cooper pointed out that despite numerous executive actions taken by the Biden administration, there was a dramatic increase in illegal immigration during those two years.
The critical moment came when Cooper asked why it took until June 2024, just three weeks before the first presidential debate of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, for the administration to implement executive actions that significantly reduced the number of people crossing the border. “Why didn’t your administration do that in 2022, 2023?” Cooper asked pointedly.
Harris defended the administration’s efforts, asserting that recent executive actions had cut the “flow of immigration” by more than half. She began to elaborate on the impact of these measures when Cooper interrupted again to challenge her on the timing, asking if it was as easy as implementing an executive order, why not take action earlier.
“Hold on, let me finish,” Harris responded, momentarily pausing to allow Cooper to complete his question. Cooper rephrased: “If it was that easy with that executive action, why not do it in 2022, 2023?”
Harris used the opportunity to emphasize the limitations of executive power and the critical role of Congress in enacting lasting reform. “Here’s the thing, we have to understand that ultimately this problem is going to be fixed through congressional action,” Harris explained. “Congress has the authority and the purse – I hate to use D.C. terms – but literally, they write the checks.”
She underscored that while executive actions can address the immediate issues, comprehensive immigration reform requires legislative backing. Harris stressed that the broader solution lies in bipartisan cooperation, pointing out that lasting change cannot happen without Congress’s involvement. She ended this part of her defense by noting that the current level of undocumented immigration is lower than when Trump left office in January 2021.
More Read
Nevertheless, Cooper wasn’t ready to let the subject drop. He pressed Harris once again, asking if she wished the administration had acted sooner, in 2022 or 2023, rather than waiting until mid-2024.
Harris stood by the administration’s timeline, asserting, “I think we did the right thing.” She reiterated the complexity of immigration reform and the necessity of working across the political aisle to address the issue. Harris made a commitment to continue pushing for bipartisan legislation to fix what she described as a “long-standing problem.”
The exchange between Harris and Cooper reflects the ongoing scrutiny faced by the Biden administration over its handling of immigration, a key issue that continues to divide the country. While Harris highlighted the administration’s successes in reducing illegal crossings through executive action, the conversation also highlighted the political and procedural challenges that have prevented a more timely response.
As the 2024 presidential campaign season heats up, immigration is likely to remain a focal point of debate, with both Republicans and Democrats grappling with how best to address the complexities of border security, legal pathways for immigrants, and humanitarian concerns. For Harris, her response at the town hall was an opportunity to defend the administration’s record while reiterating the need for bipartisan efforts to solve America’s immigration challenges once and for all.
