Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has pledged to secure the border as immigration becomes a major focus in the Nov. 5 election, but she opposed deporting illegal immigrants during her time as a California senator.
Kamala Harris joined protesters in a 2018 parade in Los Angeles chanting, “End deportation!” (X)
A video that has resurfaced on social media shows Harris joining protesters in Los Angeles in 2018 chanting “End deportation!”
Harris has been selected as the grand marshal for the 33rd annual parade, which is typically held to honor the legacy of civil rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The issue of immigration enforcement came up again during the march, with Harris clapping and smiling along with the crowd of protesters as she chanted excitedly, “Promote education, end deportations!”
Who joined Harris during the protest?
Joining Harris at the event were her family members, including her husband, Doug Emhoff, and her daughter, Ella Emhoff, who tuned in via iPhone.
Jussie Smollett, a former star of the fictional TV series “Empire,” was among the celebrities who marched with her.
Notably, Smollett was convicted of fabricated hate crimes in January 2019 for making up a story about two men wearing MAGA hats attacking him, pouring bleach on him, and putting a noose around his neck.
In a social media post, Ms Harris called the attack a “modern-day attempted lynching”, which the Daily Mail reported she has not deleted even after Mr Smollett’s allegations have been thoroughly discredited.
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Harris and her stance on immigration
After taking the vice presidency in the White House, Harris implemented a plan to reduce the number of deportations.
Compared to the Trump administration, actions taken by the Biden administration during its time in office have resulted in a 67 percent decrease in deportations of aliens who have committed crimes, according to ICE data.
The Trump administration deported 485,930 illegal immigrants who were subject to criminal forfeiture or pending criminal charges, compared with 158,931 under the Biden-Harris administration.
Harris has expressed concern over Trump’s pledge to resume deportations of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, threatening “mass deportation” camps.
“They have vowed to carry out the largest deportation campaign in American history, mass deportations,” the US vice president said in a speech at a rally organized by the nonprofit Hispanic Caucus of Congress.
“A massive raid? A massive detention center? How does that happen?” she asked.
