Arizona Senator Mark Kelly says Vice President Kamala Harris had limited time to consider her position on decriminalizing illegal border crossings in 2019, dismissing concerns about her stance on border security. He emphasizes Harris's commitment to border security, highlighting her support for border patrol agents and her efforts to address the issue.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has come to the defense of Vice President Kamala Harris, who previously expressed support for decriminalizing border crossings, arguing that she had limited time to consider her position during a 2019 primary debate.
Kelly, who was on a short list of potential vice presidential nominees for Harris, sought to dismiss concerns about her past statements on border security, emphasizing her current stance and actions in support of border patrol agents.
Sen. Kelly Defends Harris's Past Support for Decriminalizing Border Crossings
"You're talking about a primary in 2019 where somebody throws their hand up and you've got like a half a second to think about it," Kelly said, referring to Harris's previous statements.
He pointed to Harris's current support for border security and her efforts to address the issue, highlighting her visits to the border and her work with border patrol agents.
Sen. Kelly Defends Harris's Past Support for Decriminalizing Border Crossings
"Today, what really matters is who is standing with the Border Patrol agents, and that's Kamala Harris," Kelly said. "Who has killed probably the best opportunity we had to do bipartisan legislation — this is the way this should be done, and the person who killed it was Donald Trump."
Kelly challenged the notion that Harris is not trustworthy on the issue of border security, pointing to polling data that indicates that Trump is considered more trustworthy than Harris on the issue.
Sen. Kelly Defends Harris's Past Support for Decriminalizing Border Crossings
"Kamala Harris has stood for border security," Kelly said. "She wants to get something done on this issue. She's led on this issue."
Kelly also criticized Trump's handling of border security, particularly his decision not to support the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.
"Donald Trump should not be leading on this issue in the state of Arizona," Kelly said.
Harris has previously spoken out multiple times in favor of decriminalizing illegal immigration and even shutting down Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In 2017, Harris stated that "an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal." As a presidential candidate in 2019, she promised to shut down immigration detention centers on "day one" and suggested that ICE could potentially start "from scratch."
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Julia Johnson, Chad Pergram, and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
