Border patrol union criticizes Harris after Arizona border visit

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The union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents has voiced criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris following her recent visit to the southern border in Arizona. In a social media post, the National Border Patrol Council disputed Harris' claim that she played a role in increasing overtime pay for agents. The union stated, “As with all things border related, she was nowhere to be found when we needed her.”

During her visit, Harris addressed the border crisis, criticizing former President Donald Trump for allegedly halting a bipartisan border security bill. Harris remarked, "It was the strongest border security bill we have seen in decades, endorsed by the Border Patrol union, and it should be in effect today." According to Harris, Trump blocked the bill, preferring to highlight the issue rather than address it.

However, Republicans, including Trump, have opposed the bill, arguing it allowed up to 5,000 border encounters per day before implementing temporary shutdowns if the numbers persisted for a week. Critics, including members of the House Homeland Security Committee, believe the bill could facilitate an increase in illegal entries, citing over 10 million border crossings during the Biden administration.

The timing of her visit coincided with the release of a letter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detailing that there are currently over 13,000 non-citizens with murder convictions and nearly 16,000 with sexual offense convictions in the U.S.