As Republicans attack Harris on immigration, here’s what her California record reveals

SAN FRANCISCO — With the Biden administration facing low approval ratings on immigration, and Republicans blaming Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for what they call a "border invasion," Harris is pushing back, spotlighting in campaign ads and speeches what she says is her history of tough border enforcement.

But a look at Harris’ record as a public official in California — the state with the largest number and share of immigrants — finds a more nuanced picture. Longtime political observers say her experience as the daughter of immigrants has intertwined with her career as a prosecutor to form a pattern: pro-immigration but tough in enforcing the law.

Dan Morain, a California political reporter who wrote a 2021 biography of Harris, says her parents took her to their respective home countries of India and Jamaica, where she learned about her roots. And, as high-achieving scholars committed to civil rights, her parents embodied a belief that, with persistence, in America great things are possible.

“Kamala Harris has lived the second-generation immigrant story,” Morain said. “It's ingrained in her that immigration is fundamental to the United States.”

With immigration at the core of her own life experience, Harris has a history of supporting immigrant communities and legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But her work in California, including as the state’s attorney general, provides her with opportunities to also tout law enforcement measures she’s taken on the issue.

Harris as DA and AG

As San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2010, Harris went after abusive employers shortchanging immigrant workers. And she encouraged immigrant communities to feel safe