San Francisco, California – Less than two hours after President Joe Biden announced his decision not to run for the 2024 presidential race, the Republican National Committee launched a campaign ad targeting Vice President Kamala Harris as “dangerously liberal.” The ad criticized Harris for her handling of illegal immigration during her time as San Francisco’s district attorney.
Highlighting a 2008 incident where a woman was attacked by an undocumented immigrant who had been released as part of a program initiated by Harris, the ad aimed to portray Harris as soft on crime and immigration. The victim of the assault, Amanda Kiefer, has recently spoken out against Harris, calling the Vice President’s campaign messaging “laughable.”
The program in question, called Back on Track, aimed to reduce recidivism by providing job training to nonviolent offenders. However, a loophole in the program allowed undocumented immigrants to participate, sparking controversy. Harris acknowledged the flaw in the program and took steps to fix it to ensure that only those eligible for lawful employment could participate.
President Donald Trump and his supporters have seized on Kiefer’s story to challenge Harris’ tough-on-crime stance and promote the false narrative that undocumented immigrants are responsible for a rise in crime. Despite statistics showing otherwise, Trump continues to use Kiefer’s story to attack Harris’s record on immigration and crime.
Harris has faced similar accusations before, notably during her 2020 presidential run, where Trump criticized her for supporting sanctuary cities and lenient immigration policies. Harris’s campaign has not responded to these recent attacks.
As the Biden administration grapples with a surge in migrant crossings at the Southwest border, Harris has advocated for progressive solutions to both criminal justice and immigration issues. Recent data shows a significant drop in migration rates following new asylum restrictions implemented by the administration, signaling some success in controlling the border situation.
For Kiefer, the assault she endured was a turning point that led her to support policies advocated by Trump. While she was initially a liberal, Kiefer now aligns herself with conservative causes. Harris, on the other hand, continues to push for comprehensive immigration reform and criminal justice reform as part of the administration’s agenda.
Before the assailant in Kiefer’s case was sentenced, Harris supported his deportation, underscoring her commitment to enforcing immigration laws. These developments come amid ongoing debates over border security and immigration policy, with Harris and Trump representing divergent views on how to address these complex issues.