Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a firmer stance on immigration and unauthorized crossings at the southern border of the United States, reflecting a shift in her rhetoric as she seeks to attract a wider audience to her campaign. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris highlighted her plans to combat illegal crossings, mentioning the reintroduction of a bipartisan border security bill that was blocked in the Senate, according to the Latin Times.

Harris emphasized the importance of border security and criticized former President Donald Trump for having prevented the bill from moving forward, claiming that she would not play politics with the country’s security. This stance contrasts with her previous positions, such as in 2019 when she vehemently opposed Trump's border wall, calling it a “medieval vanity project” and a “waste of taxpayer money”.

The change in Harris' rhetoric is seen as a response to the rise in illegal immigration in recent years and the criticism she has received, especially from Republicans who have dubbed her the “border czar”. Her campaign has used these new positions to highlight her experience as California's attorney general and her support for increasing Border Patrol agents.

Harris’ new stance sparked backlash, including surprise from some Republican lawmakers, such as Senator James Lankford, who noted that Harris had not previously been involved in discussions about the border bill.

In addition to these changes to her immigration policy, the Harris campaign has also mocked former President Trump, ridiculing him for his threats to withdraw from a debate on ABC, using images and sounds of clucking chickens to illustrate his objections, according to the publication.