Washington — In a contentious interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris was pressed on immigration policy and her differences with President Biden as she tries to broaden her appeal to Republican and independent voters ahead of Election Day.
“Let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” the Democratic nominee declared, adding that she will bring “fresh and new ideas.”
The nearly 30-minute interview was tense from the start, with Fox News’ Bret Baier and Harris often interrupting each other after the anchor asked a question about undocumented migrants.
“May I finish responding, please? You have to let me finish, please,” Harris said as Baier interjected to note that some migrants who were released from custody went on to commit crimes. “I’m in the middle of responding to the point you’re raising and I’d like to finish.”
Baier played a clip of the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray saying she believes the border policies of the Biden administration are responsible for her daughter’s death in Texas. Two undocumented men from Venezuela are charged in her death.
“So do you owe them an apology?” Baier asked.
“I am so sorry for her loss,” Harris said. “I am so sorry for her loss, sincerely. But let’s talk about what is happening right now with an individual who does not want to participate in solutions.”
Harris was referring to a bipartisan measure that would have been the first comprehensive border security policy overhaul in decades. After months of negotiations, Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise in February that would have given the president far-reaching powers to restrict unlawful border crossings and tightened asylum rules. But Republicans ultimately pulled their support for it after former President Donald Trump announced his opposition.
“We’ve had a broken immigration system, transcending, by the way, Donald Trump’s administration, even before. Let’s all be honest about that. I have no pride in saying that this is a perfect immigration system,” she said. “It needs to be fixed.”
Harris also reversed a position she held in 2019, saying Wednesday, “I do not believe in decriminalizing border crossings, and I’ve not done that as vice president. I will not do that as president.”
The vice president also appeared earlier in the day at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, a battleground state, with more than 100 Republicans who have endorsed her in an effort to court disaffected Republicans who are put off by Trump’s refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 election and his vows for retribution against his political opponents.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who was part of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, was among the Republicans supporting Harris at the rally as she noted that in a typical election year their presence would be unusual.
“But not in this election,” Harris said at the rally. “Because at stake in this race are the democratic ideals that our founders and generations of Americans before us have fought for. At stake in this election is the Constitution of the United States.”
She called Trump “increasingly unstable and unhinged” and said he is “seeking unchecked power” as she reminded rally attendees that some former Trump administration officials have sounded the alarm about his fitness for office.
“No matter your party, no matter who you voted for the last time, there is a place for you in this campaign,” she said.
Harris also repeated her pledge to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet and establish a bipartisan council to recommend solutions for the most pressing issues facing the country if she wins.