These border town mayors are putting their trust in a Kamala Harris presidency

Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted endorsements from mayors of border towns in swing-state Arizona Monday as she looks to blunt the impact of Republican criticism of her handling of illegal border crossings.

Harris’ campaign said she was backed by the mayors of Bisbee, Nogales, Somerton, and San Luis, as well as by Yuma County Supervisors Martin Porchas and Tony Reyes. Here’s what they had to say:

Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge

“The case for Vice President Kamala Harris could not be more clear—she’s the qualified, experienced leader that Arizonans in large or small communities and all across America need right now. From addressing the complex issues of immigration to upholding our rule of law, she will lead our nation forward and is the candidate that will beat Trump.”

Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado

“Vice President Harris has a long history of delivering for our country and communities across Arizona, including families right here in Nogales. Vice President Harris was a border prosecutor. She understands our border communities and is dedicated to partnering with state and local officials to solve our broken border crisis. For his own gain, Trump continued the border crisis problem— Kamala Harris could offer us a border solution.”

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya

“Vice President Kamala Harris is the most qualified and experienced person to beat Donald Trump and take on the issues communities like Somerton face. I trust her to meet the needs of border cities and towns without taking advantage of us for her own political gain, like her opponent. Under her leadership, the Biden-Harris administration got us closer to comprehensive immigration reform than we’ve been in years. I know that with her in the White House, we’ll actually see the changes we need.”

San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel

“Vice President Kamala Harris is the leader that Arizona and our country needs right now. She’s incredibly capable. She’s the fighter Arizona families deserve. She will make our economy stronger, and make sure it’s working for working families. I trust she’ll take on the issues at the border head on and work with anyone she needs to get the job done.”

Harris builds border coalition

A week into her sudden promotion to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, Harris is getting her campaign off the ground and refining her pitch to voters with less than 100 days before Election Day. Republicans are trying to make the border a political liability for Harris just as it was for President Joe Biden before he ended his reelection campaign.

Republicans say Harris did not do enough to clamp down on illegal immigration in a role they characterize as Biden’s “border czar.” House Republicans and a handful of vulnerable Democrats voted last week to rebuke Harris over the administration’s border policies.

The border endorsements, which are part of a slate of Arizona supporters Harris plans to announce Monday, offer a potential retort to that criticism, particularly in the only swing state that shares a border with Mexico.

“I trust her to meet the needs of border cities and towns without taking advantage of us for her own political gain, like her opponent,” Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya said in a statement. Somerton is a city of about 14,000 people in the state’s southwestern corner.

How Harris and Trump differ on immigration

As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and put in place a long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries.

Immigration has been at the center of Trump’s political identity since he announced his first campaign in 2015. He paints a picture of a border that is out of control, threatening national security and the economy. If elected to a second term, he’s pledged to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.

Biden has both sought to crack down on new arrivals at the border and to offer new immigration pathways.

The restrictions he announced at the beginning of June cut off asylum access when arrivals at the border reached a certain number, infuriating immigration advocates who say the policy differs little from what Trump attempted. Then a few weeks later Biden announced a new program aimed at undocumented spouses of American citizens who had been in the country for a decade or more that could ultimately provide them a pathway to citizenship.

Border arrests have fallen from record highs last December.