In the midst of a worsening fentanyl crisis in the U.S., both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been urged by experts, law enforcement officials and families to prioritize the battle against fentanyl.
How, Pray Tell?
Some say beefing up the southern border would help stem the flow of the deadly synthetic opioid, which is manufactured and smuggled into the U.S. mostly by Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. Fentanyl, the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, claimed 204 lives daily on average in 2023.
Did Someone Say ‘Border Wall'?
Apparently, Kamala Harris did, per Axios, even though she called the mere idea of building a border wall a "medieval vanity project" during Trump's presidency.
Trump's running mate JD Vance, who has blasted Harris for fomenting chaos through lax border policies and for "the poison that Kamala Harris has let come into this country" — presumably referring to fentanyl and not immigrants – let loose on Harris’s flip-flop.
How Could She?!
Vance expressed his fury with the VP for agreeing to fund a border wall if elected.
"Kamala Harris is a fake. If she wants to build the border wall, she could start right now!" Vance screamed on X.
“It is unbelievable what we’re letting happen at the southern border, and it’s happening because Kamala Harris refuses to do her job,” Vance said in late July and has reiterated since.
Vance argues that Harris’s policies have contributed to the increase in illegal crossings and by extension the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Since Biden took office, illegal crossings reached record levels. These numbers, however, recently dropped to the lowest level in more than three years after Biden imposed new restrictions in June on people seeking asylum via the southern border.
Meet The Press
When interviewed this past Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Vance said crossings at the southern border are lower only because "the Harris administration" is sending immigrants through different ports of entry.
"So instead of coming through the southern border, they’re now being flown at taxpayer expense to the ports of entry all over our country," Vance told NBC's Kristen Welker.
Welker asked Vance if he and Trump were elected, "would you separate families as a part of your mass deportation effort?"
Vance replied. "Well, we have to start with the foundational issue here, which is we have 25 million illegal aliens in this country right now because Kamala Harris has refused to do her job."
Citing the Deptartment of Homeland Security, Welker pointed out that Vance's math was off by 17 million and that Harris's job was dealing with the root causes of migration.
Welker tried her best but Vance never did answer the question.
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