A recent poll by the Pew Research Center reveals that 60% of Americans believe Vice President Kamala Harris has not sufficiently clarified her stance on immigration policy. The September 30 to October 6 survey, which queried 5,110 respondents, also found that only 30% felt President Donald Trump had failed to adequately outline his plans for handling illegal immigration.
Interestingly, the data indicates a reversal in public perception regarding the transparency of these two figures’ policy stances. While Harris has been criticized for her apparent lack of clarity on migration issues, she has received high praise from 72% of respondents who stated that she has clearly explained her views on abortion. This stands in contrast to the 60% of Americans who believe Trump also adequately outlined his policies related to this contentious issue.
The discrepancy between these results may be attributed to two primary factors: firstly, the media’s general lack of scrutiny over Harris’s policy stances on immigration. The Vice President has been accused of consistently diverting questions related to this subject back to her misleading explanation of a pro-migration bill that sought to be pushed through the Senate in January 2021 by the Senate’s bipartisan leadership. Secondly, the unpopularity of Harris’s pro-migration stance among swing voters is likely another contributing factor to her decision to obfuscate her immigration policy agenda. For instance, while she repeatedly expresses support for a tough border bill, it has been noted that this bill would in fact weaken asylum laws to legalize unlimited migration into American communities, jobs, and schools.
Additionally, the Vice President’s choice to maintain a low profile on immigration issues during President Joe Biden’s tenure further contributes to the public’s lack of understanding of her role in shaping Biden’s border policy. As recently as September 18, an Ipsos poll indicated that there is no clear consensus among Americans regarding Harris’s responsibilities related to immigration, with responses ranging from 10% believing she is responsible for addressing the reasons why migrants leave their home countries to immigrate in the U.S., up to 28% attributing a mix of both roles to her.
Media outlets have also played a role in obscuring Harris’s stance on migration, with many establishment news sources eager to assist her in keeping her pro-migration policies hidden from public scrutiny. For example, the founders of Axios.com suggested that both Harris and Trump share similar views regarding stronger borders and more stringent immigration laws, stating that “Harris and the Biden administration have embraced restrictions on asylum that resemble Trump policies they once opposed.
In contrast to her ambiguous stance on migration, Vice President Kamala Harris has been eager for both her base and swing-voting women to clearly understand her pro-abortion policy. The Pew Research Center poll shows that 72% of Americans believe she has sufficiently explained her stance on this issue, while 60% also stated that Trump adequately clarified his own abortion-related policies.