A friend who happens to be on the right, conservative for the most part, claimed to me that Kamara Harris and lied when she said the border was closed. Harris never said that.
There is no public record that
shows Vice President Kamala Harris ever said the southern border was
“closed” during the Biden administration.
What did happen
is more nuanced, and it helps to separate three different categories of
statements: what she said, what she was criticized for, and how her role was
framed.
What Harris actually said
Across her public remarks from
2021–2024, Harris consistently avoided declaring the border “closed.” Instead,
she emphasized:
- The need to address root causes of
migration (her assigned portfolio in 2021).
- The importance of orderly, lawful processing at
ports of entry.
- Support for enforcement actions and
later, during the 2024 campaign, even tougher asylum restrictions than
Biden’s.
None of these statements included
a claim that the border was closed.
What critics claimed she
said
Republican committee reports and
political messaging frequently accused the Biden–Harris administration of
having “open borders,” but these documents do not cite any
instance of Harris saying the border was closed. They instead argue the
opposite: that the administration’s policies created an open border.
This is important because it shows
the political debate was about whether the border was too open, not
about Harris claiming it was closed.
How her role was framed
Harris was often labeled “border
czar,” though the White House repeatedly clarified her assignment was diplomacy
with Central America, not operational control of the border. This led to
confusion about what she was responsible for, but still no instance of her
declaring the border closed.
Why this matters for
interpreting claims
When people online say “Harris
said the border was closed,” they are usually:
- Misattributing statements made by DHS
officials, who sometimes said the border was “not open,”
- Or summarizing the administration’s policy
intent, not quoting her actual words.
There is no verified quote of
Harris saying the border was closed.
