Vice President Kamala Harris has vowed to close most immigration detention centers if elected president, a move that could release the majority of detained illegal aliens into the U.S., sparking debate over public safety and border security.
Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to close most of the nation’s immigration detention centers, vowing that she would "shut them down" if elected president. This plan would result in the release of roughly 90 percent of illegal aliens currently held in detention into the United States.
During her 2019 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris addressed a crowd in Iowa City, Iowa, promising to close immigration detention facilities operated by private contractors working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
When asked by a voter if she would commit to closing these detention centers, Harris responded, "Absolutely, on day one—on day one." She specifically referenced a for-profit detention facility in Homestead, Florida, that was housing 2,700 children at the time. Harris recounted how she attempted to visit the facility but was denied entry, leading her to climb a ladder to see inside. She described seeing children lined up single-file, based on gender, being led into barracks.
Harris condemned the use of private detention facilities, stating, "This means that their business model is that people are profiting off of the incarceration of other human beings, who, in this case, are children. On day one, we’ll shut them down."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has estimated that about 90 percent of illegal aliens held in DHS custody are housed in privately owned detention centers. If Harris's plan were implemented, it would result in the release of the majority of these detainees.
Harris also emphasized that as president, she would prioritize "shutting down those private detention facilities" and pursue legislation for a "pathway to citizenship," which many interpret as amnesty for illegal aliens.
Lora Ries, an Iowa native and director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, criticized Harris's stance, telling Breitbart News that "immigration detention is a necessary means to protect public safety, prevent flight, and to ensure removal if so ordered by an immigration judge." Ries suggested that Harris's current position is inconsistent with her previous "tough-on-border-and-crime" persona as California's Attorney General, and that her current stance may face pushback from those who view it as contradictory.
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