“We cannot accept Donald Trump’s failure to lead. We should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions.”

“We can have an earned pathway to citizenship and secure borders.”

In an address at the U.S.-Mexico border in Douglas, Arizona, Vice President Kamala Harris called for tougher security measures at the border and directly called out Donald Trump’s failures as President to secure the border and his deliberate actions to block bipartisan legislation to do so.

She slammed Donald Trump for wanting to run on a problem instead of fix a problem, saying, “The American people deserve a President who cares more about border security than playing political games.” She reminded that cruelty was not a “bug” but a deliberate feature of Trump’s handling of asylum-seekers and migrants, cruelty.

As a former border state Attorney General, Kamala Harris understands what security and enforcing the law at the border means, prosecuting transnational criminal organizations for the trafficking of guns, drugs, and human beings. She unveiled her approach to “target the entire global fentanyl supply chain” to “significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals from China” and protect Americans from the “unimaginable destruction” it is causing.

“On behalf of all communities across our nation that want to see these problems solved I say: We cannot accept Donald Trump’s failure to lead. We should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions. Or rhetoric instead of results, said Vice President Harris. “As your President, I will: Protect our nation’s sovereignty. Secure our border. And work to fix our broken system of immigration…I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between securing our border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane. We can and must do both…

“As President, I will put politics aside to fix our immigration system, and find solutions to problems which have persisted for far too long.”

Below is a highlighted, slightly edited transcript of Harris’ remarks:

Arizona: There are highly consequential issues at stake in this election.

And one is the security of our border.

The United States is a sovereign nation.

And I believe we have a duty to set rules at our border, and to enforce them.

I take that responsibility very seriously.

We are also a nation of immigrants.

The United States has been enriched by generations of people who have come from every corner of the world to contribute to our country and become part of the American story.

And we must reform our immigration system, to ensure that:

It works in an orderly way.

It is humane.

And it makes our country stronger.

I have just come from visiting the border and the port of entry in Douglas.

I spoke with dedicated agents from border patrol, and customs officers who, every day, oversee the flow of commercial traffic through the port.

The men and women who work there, and at other places along our southern border, help keep our nation secure.

And they need more resources to do their jobs.

Which is why we are investing half a billion dollars to modernize and expand the port of entry here in Douglas.

And why, last December, I helped raise the rate of overtime pay for border agents.

It is also why I strongly supported the comprehensive border security bill, written last year by a bipartisan group of Senators, including one of the most conservative members of the United States Senate.

That bill would have:

Hired 1,500 more border agents and officers.

Paid for 100 inspection machines to detect the fentanyl that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.

It would have allowed us to more quickly and effectively remove those who come here illegally.

And it would have increased the number of immigration judges and asylum officers.

It was the strongest border security bill we have seen in decades.

It was endorsed by the Border Patrol Union.

And it should be in effect today, producing results for our country.

But Donald Trump tanked it.

He picked up the phone, called some friends in Congress, and said, stop the bill.

Because he prefers to run on the problem, instead of fixing the problem.

The American people deserve a President who cares more about border security than playing political games.

And so, even though Donald Trump tried to sabotage the border security bill, it is my pledge that, as President, I will bring it back up and proudly sign into law.

Now, border security is not a new issue to me.

I was Attorney General of a border state.

I saw the violence and chaos that transnational gangs caused.

And the heartbreak and loss from the spread of their illicit drugs.

I walked through the tunnels that traffickers used to smuggle contraband into the United States.

I’ve seen tunnels with walls as smooth as the walls of your living room, complete with lighting and air conditioning.

Making clear that the transnational criminal organizations are profiting from those tunnels.

And my knowledge of how they work comes from the fact that I have prosecuted transnational gangs, who traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings.

My team and I broke up a heroin trafficking ring in the Bay Area, with ties to Mexican cartels.

Took down a gang working with the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic methamphetamine into the United States.

Seized millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from the Guadalajara Cartel.

And broke up a drug trafficking operation, including pill mills and so-called recovery centers, that were pushing opioids, with deadly results.

And as Attorney General of California, 10 years ago, I led a bipartisan delegation of American State Attorneys General to Mexico.

Where we worked closely with the Attorney General of Mexico.

To increase intelligence sharing on gang activity.

All of which allowed us to prosecute more human traffickers.

And I started the first comprehensive report in the state of California analyzing transnational criminal organizations, and the threats they posed to public safety and the economy.

So stopping transnational crime and strengthening our border has been a long-standing priority of mine.

I have done that work.

And I will continue to treat it as a priority, when I am elected President.

I will reach across the aisle, and embrace commonsense approaches and new technologies to get the job done.

Because I know, transnational gangs are always innovating.

And to disrupt and defeat them, we must do the same.

As President, I won’t just bring back the border security bill that Donald Trump tanked.

I will do more to secure our border.

To reduce illegal border crossings, I will take further action to keep the border closed between ports of entry.

Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed.

And barred from re-entering for five years.

We will pursue more severe criminal charges against repeat violators.

And if someone does not make an asylum request at a legal port of entry, and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum.

While we understand that many people are desperate to migrate to the United States, our system must be orderly and secure.

Securing our border also means addressing the flow of fentanyl into our communities.

Fentanyl is a scourge on our country.

It is highly addictive.

And it is highly lethal.

So much so that using it one time can be fatal.

I have met too many families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl.

Their grief is heartbreaking.

And the devastation caused by fentanyl is being felt from rural communities to big cities.

So as President, I will make it a top priority to disrupt the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

Most of the fentanyl in America comes from two cartels based in Mexico.

Most often, they are smuggling it through passenger and commercial vehicles at legal ports of entry, like the one I visited today.

The fact is, border officers don’t have enough resources, and are only able to search a small fraction of the vehicles that pass through their checkpoints.

This is unacceptable.

They need the resources to do their jobs.

As we could have done with the border security bill, I will surge support to law enforcement agencies on the front lines.

More personnel. More training. And more technology.

Including 100 new inspection systems that can detect fentanyl hidden in vehicles.

And we will make sure all our ports of entry, including airports and seaports, have additional state-of-the-art technology to detect fentanyl, and the chemicals and tools used to make it.

I will also double the resources for the Department of Justice to extradite and prosecute transnational cartels.

I will ensure we target the entire global fentanyl supply chain, because we must materially and sustainably disrupt the flow of illicit fentanyl into our country.

My approach takes into account that the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl are, by and large, made in China.

And then, shipped to Mexican cartels, and trafficked to the United States.

Our Administration demanded that China crack down on the companies that make those chemicals.

And it has started to happen.

But they need to do more.

And as President, I will hold them to their commitment to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals from China.

All to say:

I will tackle this issue from every angle.

Because our highest charge must be to protect the lives of our people.

And, we must ensure that our country remains strong and competitive.

Which includes fixing our broken immigration system.

And let me be clear:

I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between securing our border or creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane.

We can and must do both.

We need clear legal pathways for people seeking to come to our country.

And we must make our current system work better.

For example, it can take years for asylum claims to be decided.

This is a problem we can solve.

Including by hiring more asylum officers, and expanding processing centers in people’s home countries.

And as President, I will work with Congress to create, at long last, a pathway to citizenship for hardworking immigrants who have been here for years.

Like Dreamers.

I have met with Dreamers throughout my career.

They who have grown up in the United States, were educated here, pay taxes here, serve in our military, and contribute to our communities every day.

They are American in every way.

But still, they do not have an earned pathway to citizenship.

And this problem has gone unsolved for decades.

The same goes for farmworkers, who ensure we have food on our tables, and who sustain our agricultural industry.

They, too, have been in legal limbo for years.

Because politicians have refused to come together and fix our broken immigration system.

Well, as President, I will put politics aside to fix our immigration system, and find solutions to problems which have persisted for far too long.

As I said at the beginning:

These issues are highly consequential for our nation.

And the contrast in this election is clear.

It is a choice between commonsense solutions, and the same old political games.

In the four years that Donald Trump was President, he did nothing to fix our broken immigration system.

He did not solve the shortage of immigration judges and border agents.

Or create lawful pathways into our nation.

He did nothing to address our outdated asylum system.

And did not work with other governments in our hemisphere to deal with what is clearly a regional challenge.

As overdoses went up during his presidency, he fought to slash funding for the fight against fentanyl.

And what did he do instead? 

He separated families.

Ripped toddlers out of their mothers’ arms.

Put children in cages.

And tried to end protections for Dreamers.

He made the challenges at the border worse.

And he is still fanning the flames of fear and division.

Let me be clear:

That is not the work of a leader.

That is an abdication of leadership.

And so, on behalf of all communities across our nation that want to see these problems solved…

I say:

We cannot accept Donald Trump’s failure to lead.

We should not permit scapegoating instead of solutions.

Or rhetoric instead of results.

As your President, I will:

Protect our nation’s sovereignty.

Secure our border.

And work to fix our broken system of immigration.

And I will partner with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to do it.

It is time for us to turn the page on the ugly battles that have characterized our politics.

And time to move forward together, to achieve real solutions that make our country stronger.

FACT SHEET: Secure the Border, Protect Our Homeland, Stop the Flow of Fentanyl, and Fix Our Broken Immigration System

Vice President Harris will secure the border, stop the scourge of fentanyl on our streets, and fix our broken immigration system by working with Democrats, Republicans, and independents. She will embrace commonsense approaches as well as new technologies and modern solutions.

She is uniquely positioned to meet this challenge. As Attorney General of a border state, she prosecuted transnational gangs that traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings. She broke up a heroin trafficking ring with ties to Mexican cartels, took down a gang working with the Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle methamphetamine into the United States, and worked with the Attorney General of Mexico to prosecute more human traffickers. She also knows we need to reject the false choice between securing our border and creating a system of immigration that is orderly and humane. We can and must do both.

Donald Trump wants to sow chaos and disorder at the border. He prefers to run on the problem instead of fixing it. He blocked a bipartisan border security bill with the toughest reforms in decades, just to score political points. He did nothing to fix our immigration system in his four years as President, while ripping toddlers out of mothers’ arms and separating 5,000 migrant families at the border. Now, he is continuing to fan the flames of fear and division—saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” and promising a “bloody” round-up of millions of immigrants who have lived and worked in America for years, tearing families apart.

The American people deserve a President who cares about fixing these problems, instead of playing political games. Vice President Harris is committed to serious solutions to secure our border, crack down on fentanyl, keep families together, and fix our broken immigration system.

Vice President Harris will make it a top priority to secure our border and ensure that illegal border crossings get lower and stay low.

Keep the border closed between ports of entry to crack down on illegal border crossings. Vice President Harris will put in place stronger emergency authorities than those in place as a result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s executive actions. She will make it harder to lift the emergency authority by requiring that the number of average border crossings be lower for longer before the shutdown can be lifted.

Impose consequences for illegal border crossings. She will continue to ensure that those who cross our border unlawfully will be apprehended, removed, and barred from re-entering for five years. Repeat violators will face felony prosecution. And those who cross the border unlawfully will be barred from receiving asylum.

Sign the bipartisan border security bill that Trump sabotaged. Vice President Harris, along with President Biden, negotiated the toughest border bill in a generation—a bill that was supported by some of the most conservative senators and the Border Patrol union. Trump tanked that bill for his own political gain, blocking vital resources and personnel from being deployed to secure the border. As President, Vice President Harris will work with Congress to pass the bill and request it in her budget, adding 1,500 Border Patrol agents and other personnel, 4,300 asylum officers, 100 immigration judges, and new drug detection technology, providing the additional personnel, resources, and authorities we need to secure the border. This bill will bring order to the border by reducing illegal immigration and create a fast and fair asylum process in which those who qualify are quickly admitted and those who are not are quickly removed.

Double the Department of Justice’s budget for prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and cartels and extraditing cartel leaders to the United States, and impose higher sentences on human traffickers. Vice President Harris will strengthen efforts to ensure that the transnational criminal organizations and cartel leaders making billions off human trafficking and narcotics are brought to justice through a game-changing expansion of resources devoted to prosecuting members of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, aggressively extraditing their leaders to the United States, and seizing their assets. These resources would support components of the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation devoted to this mission. Vice President Harris will also work with Congress to impose longer sentences on criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking.

Further modernize screening and vetting to keep bad actors out. The United States relies on screening and vetting to make it more difficult for actors with ill intent—whether cartel leaders or terrorists—to receive visas, board international flights, or cross borders. Vice President Harris will modernize our screening and vetting infrastructure to prevent bad actors from gaining entry to the United States by adopting new technologies and ensuring we have the intelligence and law enforcement personnel needed to keep pace with emerging threats. She will prioritize our intelligence community’s collection and analysis of open-source intelligence and new streams of information, and she will expand intelligence partnerships around the world to receive warnings of evolving threats to disrupt terrorist plots before they arrive at our border.

Strengthen partnerships with Mexico and other nations in the Americas. Illegal migration is a transnational issue, and Vice President Harris will bring a pragmatic, transnational approach to it. She will strengthen law enforcement cooperation across the entire U.S. government with allies and partners throughout the Western Hemisphere to collectively crack down on fentanyl trafficking, to dismantle human smuggling networks, and to interrupt illegal migration. Through information sharing and close partnership across the region, the United States will be better positioned to spot and address trends in illegal migration.

Vice President Harris will disrupt the flow of fentanyl—from cutting off the precursor chemicals manufactured in China to stopping the smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S. by Mexican cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

Fentanyl—a highly addictive and highly lethal synthetic opioid—is killing more Americans today than any other drug. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have mourned with the loved ones of overdose victims and seen firsthand the havoc fentanyl is wreaking on families and communities. While Trump was in office, overdose deaths rose meteorically. His response was trying to cut funding by 95% for the office leading the fight against opioid overdoses. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will make sure law enforcement and communities have the resources that they need to bring down opioid overdoses and deaths, and they will ensure those profiting at the expense of American lives are held accountable. They will:

Surge additional support to the border and law enforcement agencies who are on the front lines of the fight to keep fentanyl out.

• Boost drug enforcement staff at the border, including by increasing the number of Customs and Border Protection Officers to effectively screen entrants and cargo for illegal drugs and give Homeland Security Investigations agents the power to investigate drug trafficking across the United States.
  • Equip our agents and officers with next-generation technologies to make them more effective at blocking fentanyl at the border. In her first budget request, she will fund the acquisition and deployment of over 100 new, non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems to scan passenger and commercial vehicles at ports of entry crossing the U.S.-Mexico Border, as called for in the Bipartisan Border Bill that Trump blocked. And she will scale up the use of advanced computing across all U.S. ports of entry, including the U.S.-Mexico border, airports, and seaports to detect and disrupt fentanyl entering the United States via cars, packages, and shipments.

Crack down harder on those profiting from fentanyl.

• Strengthen federal laws regulating pill presses that cartels and transnational criminal organizations rely on to produce fentanyl-laced fake pills that resemble traditional pharmaceuticals. Vice President Harris will work with Congress to strengthen pill press registration laws so law enforcement officials can track these devices and illegal uses. She will also work to increase the penalties for possessing an unregistered pill press with the intent to manufacture counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills—which currently carries a maximum penalty of only four years imprisonment.
  • Continue to push China and others to do more to crack down on companies that make the precursor chemicals for fentanyl, building on the work of the Biden-Harris Administration to shut down the companies that make those chemicals. She will use both sanctions and criminal indictments to deter and punish illegal fentanyl or precursor chemical production.
  • Double the Justice Department’s budget for prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and cartels, which will also target their fentanyl smuggling operations.

Vice President Harris will work to advance solutions to fix our broken immigration system.

Leverage humanitarian parole visas and other visa categories to take pressure off our border. Vice President Harris will continue to use legal pathways for those who apply far from our southern border and qualify for admission under our laws. For example, providing humanitarian parole visas to select immigrants has been shown to substantially lower illegal immigration.

Create an earned pathway to citizenship for longtime immigrants. The most durable and permanent solution for undocumented immigrants who are deeply rooted in the United States is to enact bipartisan legislation. Vice President Harris strongly supports an earned pathway to citizenship for those who have lived and worked in America for many years, and stands ready to work with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to create a clear process for vetting, qualifying and recognizing those who are contributing members of our communities.

Protect Dreamers and other longtime immigrants. If Republicans continue to balk at bipartisan legislation, Vice President Harris will work to keep families together, give Dreamers a chance to remain in the nation they grew up in, recognize the essential work of farm workers who feed us, and more. Immigrants who have lived and worked in America, often for decades, need paths to stability and legal status to remain with their families and to continue contributing to the nation they now call home.

Vice President Harris will improve our legal immigration system. Currently, the system is not working for our workers, businesses, or families. Delays and outdated procedures result in the loss of innovation and talent that can help drive our economy and communities forward. Vice President Harris will work to modernize our system by making sure we are protecting American workers while increasing our competitiveness and fueling economic growth.

Help American communities welcome new arrivals by continuing to provide impact aid to support local communities adjusting to newly arriving immigrants, continuing to support the private-public partnership that has successfully resettled refugees for over 50 years, and responsibly engaging private citizens as sponsors for those admitted on parole visas.

She will pay for this plan by making the super wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share.