A resurfaced video shows Vice President Kamala Harris chanting for the United States to end the deportation of illegal immigrants during a 2018 parade in Los Angeles, California.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Charlie Spiering, a reporter for The Daily Mail, Harris can be heard alongside a large crowd, chanting, “Up, up with education. Down, down with deportation.” The video was recorded during the 33rd annual Kingdom Day Parade in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. when Harris was serving as a California senator.
The Daily Mail reported that the vice president was named the “grand marshal” of the 33rd annual Kingdom Day Parade. Videos on the parade’s website confirm the date of the video by showing Harris in the same outfit she wore during the anti-deportation chant.
During her appearance at the parade, Harris appeared to criticize then-President Donald Trump, saying, “It feels great to be in LA, to be in California, to celebrate Dr. King, his vision, his spirit — which is alive and well. And in the midst of time where there are supposed-leaders who are sowing hate and division, it is really important to remember we, as a country, are so much better than that. And it’s not who we are.”
The Daily Caller reported that Harris’ appearance at the parade took place while the then-California senator publicly opposed Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. The outlet noted that Harris raised her hand during a 2020 Democratic presidential debate when asked if she would support the decriminalization of illegal border crossings between the United States and Mexico.
According to The Daily Caller, Harris previously described Trump’s border wall as “un-American” and a “stupid waste of money.” Additionally, The Daily Caller reported that Harris supported using taxpayer funding to cover the cost of gender reassignment surgeries for illegal immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019.
After being announced as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has appeared to change her position on immigration enforcement, especially in political advertisements on social media. In one advertisement, Harris can be seen claiming to support Border Patrol agents, while another advertisement states, “As president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris.”
Despite appearing to change her positions on immigration enforcement, Harris defended her policy position changes during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash in August. Harris told Bash that her “values have not changed.”
