Border Patrol Union slams Kamala's border visit as 'photo op': 'Where has she been the last 3.5 years?'

The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) union slammed Vice President Kamala Harris' recent visit to the US-Mexico border, accusing her of using the trip as a political "photo op" rather than genuinely addressing the immigration crisis that has continued under her and President Joe Biden.

“Vice president Harris has ignored the border problem she created for over three years. She goes down there for 20 minutes for a photo op and decides to repeat some of the things the NPBC has said before. But again, where has she been the last 3 1/2 years?” the union posted.

The comments followed Harris’ campaign stop in the Arizona border town of Douglas. She was photographed walking along the border fence with Border Patrol agents and later received a briefing at the port of entry on drug trafficking and the flow of goods across the border, according to the Associated Press.

During her stop in Douglas, Harris declared that the United States is both a “sovereign nation” and a “country of immigrants,” rejecting what she described as a “false choice” between securing the border and creating a humane immigration system.

“We can and we must do both,” Harris said, adding that, if elected president, she would take "further action to keep the border closed," including increasing penalties for illegal border crossings. However, this stance contradicts her 2020 presidential campaign position, when she advocated for decriminalizing illegal border crossings.

The Border Patrol Union was also quick to slam her over the speech in Douglas, saying, “Fact check on Harris speech in Douglas, Arizona: Today, VP Harris claimed that she played a role in increasing Border Patrol Agent overtime pay. This couldn't be further from the truth. As with all things border related she was no where to be found when we needed her.”

The trip marked Harris' first visit to the border since becoming the Democratic nominee for president. The campaign stop was presumed to be an attempt to counter ongoing conservative criticism that the Biden-Harris administration has been particularly lenient on illegal immigration. With the border state of Arizona being a crucial swing state in the upcoming election, the visit also appeared to be a strategic move to bolster her campaign.

Many, however, were quick to dismiss the visit as insincere. Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, called it a “Hail Mary before the election.”

"Vice President Harris went down there and she spoke to two members of management — she didn't speak to agents... and she was there for 20 minutes for a photo op. That's all she did. President Trump actually cares and he's actually gone down there and met with boots on the ground," Del Cueto told Fox News.