NumbersUSA Fact-Checks Kamala Harris's Immigration Claims

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Aug 21, 2024, 08:47 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kamala Harris claimed earlier this month that Donald Trump killed "the toughest bipartisan border security bill in decades," repeating a theme President Biden established and then falsely restated in his DNC speech on August 19.

"This zombie bill was killed twice, but the Biden-Harris administration wants to bring it back to life," says James Massa, CEO of NumbersUSA, the nation's largest nonpartisan immigration reform organization. "The only thing bipartisan about the bill was that both parties, including the Democrat-controlled Senate, refused to even vote on the fatally flawed bill."

Harris was referring to legislation which the Senate ultimately rejected earlier this year after considerable blowback from voters -- first when introduced by Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), then when reintroduced by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

"Trump rightly opposed a political stunt by Democratic leadership, but he didn't kill the bill. It was dead on arrival in the Senate, twice. The legislation was hand-crafted for Democrats and Republicans who want to look 'tough' without taking substantive action on the border," added Eric Ruark, NumbersUSA's Director of Research and Public Relations. "In reality, the Senate border bill was anything but 'tough.' It codified Biden-Harris open-border policies."

"The Senate border deal was simply bad immigration policy," agreed James Massa, NumbersUSA's CEO. "It would've normalized the release of up to 1.8 million illegal immigrants per year, while at the same time permitting almost unlimited illegal border crossings by not counting inadmissible aliens allowed in through ports of entry."

The bill would also have increased legal immigration by 50,000 a year for five years, as well as increasing the number of guest worker visas.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had declared Lankford's border deal "dead on arrival" in the House before the former president weighed in.

But the Senate bill never reached the House. Of note, substantive border reforms have already passed the House in H.R. 2, House Republicans' landmark border security package, which would effectively stop the border crisis by reforming asylum and parole, ending catch-and-release, and mandating E-Verify. In a slap to Republicans, Lankford's bill left out all provisions from H.R. 2, except one modified term.

To request an interview with James or Eric, please contact Emeline Bogle at (202) 970-9742 or [email protected].

About NumbersUSA

NumbersUSA supports a balanced immigration system that welcomes the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, is responsive to acute refugee crises, attracts those with extraordinary ability and talents, addresses temporary labor shortages, protects the most vulnerable, and is enforced. NumbersUSA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that believes better immigration policy is possible. Focused exclusively on immigration reform, NumbersUSA is America's largest single-issue advocacy group with over 8 million grassroots members and supporters spread across every congressional district. Founded solely by Roy Beck in 1996 to promote civil debate on the immigration recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform -- chaired by civil rights icon Barbara Jordan -- NumbersUSA continues to advocate for sensible immigration policies that ensure Americans' safety, promote economic fairness, while conserving the environment and quality of life.

Media Contact:
Emeline Bogle
(202) 970-9742
[email protected]

SOURCE NumbersUSA