{"id":2316838,"date":"2024-07-31T15:18:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T19:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chris-murphy-says-harris-did-stunningly-well-on-the-border-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-31T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T19:22:10","slug":"chris-murphy-says-harris-did-stunningly-well-on-the-border-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chris-murphy-says-harris-did-stunningly-well-on-the-border-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Murphy says Harris did \u2018stunningly well\u2019 on the border &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchris-murphy-says-harris-did-stunningly-well-on-the-border-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316838&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article\u2063 discusses Senator Chris Murphy&#8217;s defense of Vice President Kamala Harris amidst Republican\u200c criticisms of her role\u2064 in\u200c immigration policy. Murphy, \u2062who negotiated a failed immigration deal, asserts that Harris has \u200deffectively contributed \u2062to reducing illegal crossings\u200b from Central America, particularly emphasizing her \u2063focus on addressing the root causes of migration.\u200c He notes a significant decrease in apprehensions at\u200d the border, attributing some of that success to Harris\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges and \u200dGOP attacks \u2062labeling her as\u2064 the &#8220;border\u200c czar,&#8221; Murphy believes\u200b Democrats should embrace immigration \u200bas a policy\u200c strength rather than a liability. He encourages boldness in\u2064 addressing immigration policy and \u200bhighlights\u200b Harris&#8217;s previous\u2062 experiences as\u200d California attorney general.<\/p>\n<p>As the electoral landscape shifts, Harris\u2019s strategic choices, including potential \u200drunning mate selections, \u200dwill be\u200b scrutinized in context \u2062to how she navigates\u200c Republican \u200dcritiques.\u2063 While Republicans frame Biden&#8217;s administration as ineffective on border security,\u2064 recent\u2063 policy changes and a noted reduction in migrant crossings present a complex narrative for \u2064the\u200c Democrats as they approach the upcoming \u2062election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Border deal Democrat flips script on Harris&rsquo;s&nbsp;role as&nbsp;immigration&nbsp;&lsquo;czar&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1719408\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The Senate Democrat who negotiated a failed immigration deal with Republicans is urging his party to embrace Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris&rsquo;s<\/a> role on the border in the face of an onslaught of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3086338\/senate-gop-candidates-border-czar-harris-trump-convention\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>GOP attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sen.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-murphy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Chris Murphy<\/a>&nbsp;(D-CT), like other Democrats, has cried foul over the &ldquo;border czar&rdquo; moniker given to Harris as Republicans attempt to tie her to&nbsp;President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden&rsquo;s<\/a>&nbsp;record on the issue. The president tasked Harris with investigating the root causes of illegal immigration in the early days of his administration, but the assignment quickly became a stumbling block for Harris as the number of crossings soared to record levels.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have attempted to minimize the role she played in that influx as she runs to replace Biden in the White House, noting her job was limited to exploring the socioeconomic conditions that prompt migrants to flee Northern Triangle countries in the first place. But Murphy is crediting her directly for what has become a precipitous drop in crossings over the last several months.<\/p>\n<p>Border Patrol <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/stats\/southwest-land-border-encounters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>apprehended<\/a> almost 84,000 migrants in June, a 16% decrease from the same month a year ago and two-thirds lower than the record high of 250,000 in December.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris was given a job to reduce migration from Central America, and she did it incredibly well, stunningly well,&rdquo; Murphy told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She was not put in charge of immigration policy or the border,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;She was put in charge of reducing the root causes of migration from Central America and Mexico, and she did that in a way that made a huge difference.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Murphy has taken an aggressive posture on the border since a deal he brokered with Senate Republicans and the White House fell apart earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>The GOP argues the agreement had loopholes that allowed illegal crossings to remain high, even as it set aside money for additional Border Patrol agents. But Democrats have used Republicans&rsquo; opposition to frame them as standing in the way of bipartisan solutions on immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy has led the charge on that critique, pressing for and ultimately winning a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3014662\/senate-votes-down-failed-border-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>doomed-to-fail<\/a> Senate vote on the deal in May that separated it from a larger foreign aid package.<\/p>\n<p>And Harris herself has begun to rebut the attacks against her. On Tuesday night, she cited her <a href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-kamala-d-harris-announces-arrests-and-seizure-meth-valued-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>prosecution<\/a> of drug cartels while serving as California attorney general to pitch herself as tough on the border. She also pledged to sign the immigration deal into law if she becomes president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think we should go toe-to-toe with the Republicans on immigration policy,&rdquo; Murphy said, lamenting that Democrats have historically &ldquo;cowered in a corner&rdquo; when the topic comes up.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We should not do that, nor do we need to do that this election,&rdquo; he added, citing the &ldquo;very effective job&rdquo; Harris had done. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a>, Harris made trips to Central America and was tasked with bringing economic investment to the region.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Immigration policy can be a strength, not a liability, for Democrats,&rdquo; Murphy said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the Democrats&rsquo; chief negotiator on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/menendez-slams-chris-murphy-and-senate-border-group-for-lacking-hispanic-members\/\" title=\"Menendez criticizes Murphy and Senate border group for lacking Hispanic members\">border security talks<\/a>, speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lindsey-graham-says-senate-not-anywhere-close-to-reaching-ukraine-border-deal\/\" title=\"Lindsey Graham: Senate far from Ukraine-border agreement\">bipartisan border deal<\/a> could be doomed because of resistance from former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Strategic decisions Harris makes in the coming days will signal how big of a liability she, in fact, considers the border attacks to be. If she chooses Sen. Mark Kelly, a centrist border state Democrat from Arizona, as her running mate, it could help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3101306\/mark-kelly-vice-president-border-czar-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>insulate her<\/a> from the critique.<\/p>\n<p>Already, Republicans have made clear the issue will be the centerpiece of their campaign against her. The Trump campaign has begun airing ads blaming a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-attacks-dangerously-liberal-harris-while-touting-his-own-family-roots-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Vance attacks \u2018dangerously liberal\u2019 Harris while touting his own family roots - Washington Examiner\">dangerously liberal&#038;rdquo<\/a>; Harris for the record influx, while Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s running mate, will visit the Arizona border on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<p>The drop in illegal crossings could blunt the argument against her. Biden implemented some of the border deal&rsquo;s policies via executive order in June and has had success convincing Mexico to interdict more migrants before they ever reach the United States.<\/p>\n<p>But Republicans believe the administration demonstrated to the public it is not serious about border security when it undid a raft of Trump-era policies when Biden took office in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve had years to be able to take things on, and there&rsquo;s some changes that have happened to decrease the numbers recently, but most likely, that&rsquo;s cartels choking that down knowing that if they get a President Trump, then they&rsquo;re in trouble,&rdquo; said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who helped broker the Senate border deal with Murphy.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3105260\/progressives-embrace-harris-early-pivot-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>pivot to the center<\/a> on immigration is newer for Harris. In her 2020 run for president, she flirted with calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has previously advocated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/graphics\/politics\/policy-2020\/immigration\/criminal-penalties-section-1325\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>downgrading the penalty<\/a> for crossing the border illegally to a civil offense.<\/p>\n<p>But her attempts to shake the &ldquo;border czar&rdquo; scrutiny are hardly new. She made a trip to the southern border in 2021 following media attention on her handling of the issue and famously quipped that she hadn&rsquo;t visited Europe either when asked days earlier about why she had not yet gone.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy argued that Democrats should make more trips to the border when asked about Vance&rsquo;s visit, with the caveat that he is &ldquo;not going to give advice to the Harris campaign on their political strategy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Biden made his own trip to the border in February, a move meant to preempt Trump&rsquo;s visit the same day.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just speaking for myself. I&rsquo;m going to be down at the border,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to be highlighting this issue because I think it&rsquo;s one that we shouldn&rsquo;t cede the advantage to Republicans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1719408\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1719408\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Border Deal: Democrat Reframes Harris&#8217;s Role as Immigration &#8216;Czar&#8217;**<\/p>\n<p>Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who was involved in a failed immigration agreement with Republicans, is encouraging his party to support Vice President Kamala Harris amid a barrage of Republican criticism. Murphy, along with other Democrats, has expressed discontent over the &#8220;border czar&#8221; label assigned to Harris as GOP members seek to link her to President Joe Biden&#8217;s immigration record. Early in Biden&#8217;s presidency, he tasked Harris with addressing the root causes of illegal immigration; however, this responsibility became challenging for her as border crossings surged to unprecedented levels. Democrats have sought to downplay her involvement in this increase while she campaigns for the presidency, emphasizing that her role focused on understanding the socioeconomic factors driving migration from Northern Triangle countries.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy is now attributing credit to Harris for a significant decline in border crossings observed recently. In June, Border Patrol apprehended nearly 84,000 migrants\u2014a 16% decrease compared to last year and two-thirds lower than December\u2019s peak of 250,000. &#8220;Kamala Harris was given a job to reduce migration from Central America and she did it incredibly well,&#8221; Murphy stated in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. He clarified that she wasn&#8217;t responsible for overall immigration policy but rather focused on tackling its root causes.<\/p>\n<p>Since his earlier negotiations fell through this year due to Republican concerns about loopholes allowing continued high illegal crossings despite funding for more Border Patrol agents, Murphy has taken a strong stance on border issues. Democrats are framing Republican opposition as an obstruction against bipartisan solutions regarding immigration reform.<\/p>\n<p>Harris has also begun countering criticisms directed at her by highlighting her previous work prosecuting drug cartels during her tenure as California attorney general and pledging support for an immigration deal if elected president. Murphy believes Democrats should confront Republicans directly over immigration policy instead of retreating from discussions\u2014a pattern he feels has historically hindered their position.<\/p>\n<p>As vice president, Harris traveled to Central America aiming at fostering economic investment there. &#8220;Immigration policy can be a strength rather than a liability for Democrats,&#8221; asserted Murphy.<\/p>\n<p>The strategic choices made by Harris moving forward will indicate how much weight she places on these attacks regarding border issues\u2014especially if she selects centrist Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona as her running mate which could provide some protection against criticism.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have already indicated that they will focus heavily on this issue during their campaign against her; ads are being aired blaming what they describe as \u201cdangerously liberal\u201d policies under Harris\u2019s influence for increased migrant numbers while Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) plans visits near the Arizona border soon.<\/p>\n<p>The recent drop in illegal crossings may weaken arguments against her administration\u2019s handling of border security since President Biden implemented some policies associated with earlier agreements via executive order and successfully negotiated increased migrant interdiction efforts by Mexico before they reach U.S soil.<\/p>\n<p>However, Republicans argue that public perception remains negative due largely because many Trump-era policies were reversed when Biden took office back in 2021\u2014leading them believe there hasn\u2019t been enough serious action taken until recently despite some improvements noted lately attributed possibly more so towards cartel behavior anticipating potential changes under another Trump presidency according Senator James Lankford (R-OK).<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s shift towards centrist views marks new territory compared with positions held during previous presidential campaigns where calls were made advocating abolishing ICE or reducing penalties related crossing borders illegally classified civil offenses instead criminal ones altogether previously endorsed by herself too often leading scrutiny around \u201cborder czar\u201d title attached closely following media attention surrounding those matters back then prompting visits made down south shortly thereafter including one undertaken personally by Biden himself aimed preemptively counteracting similar criticisms raised ahead time prior events unfolding later still ongoing today nonetheless continuing debate persists whether or not Democratic leaders should engage further proactively addressing these topics publicly themselves moving forward into future elections ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2316839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/chris-murphy-border-czar-harris-1024x591.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32282,36802,32438,32171,32076],"class_list":["post-2316838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-border-policy","tag-chris-murphy","tag-kamala-harris","tag-political-commentary","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/chris-murphy-border-czar-harris-1024x591.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}