Vice President Kamala Harris’s first trip to the southern border in over three years isn’t helping her campaign, her critics told the Washington Reporter.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who represents over 1,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, told the Washington Reporter that border problems will plague Democrats up and down the ticket in November, including his opponent, Rep. Colin Allred (D., Texas). 

“The Biden-Harris administration inherited policies that had resulted in the lowest level of illegal immigration in 45 years,” Cruz said. “They rolled back those policies from the very beginning, with the support of the radical Democrats like my opponent Colin Allred, who said the border wall is racist. Now, 40 days before an election, Harris, Allred, and other Democrats are pretending they support border security.”

Democrats, including Harris, have recently tried to appear politically moderate on the issue of immigration, following years of many in their party advocating for the outright abolition of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In advance of Harris’s visit, Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho) told the Reporter that “Vice President Kamala Harris has only visited our southern border once over the last three and a half years.” 

“After years of fueling a crisis that has allowed over ten million people into our country, undermined public safety, and overwhelmed our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, this ‘visit’ is far too little, too late. Our brave border patrol agents and the American people can see right through this PR stunt,” Simpson added.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), who represents a border district, sai that “[President Joe] Biden and Harris set out to end border policies that were working, let in as many illegals as possible, and allow them to stay. All that’s missing is the banner reading ‘MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.’”

A Hill staffer focused on immigration policy added to the Reporter that “Mike Johnson and Darrell Issa visited the fucking southern border more times in July than Harris has as vice president. Her trip isn’t a border tour. It’s a victory lap for shattering our immigration system.”

Another border legislator, Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R., Ariz.), who has worked across the aisle on issues of border security, called the visit “a photo opportunity to try and score political points.”

“Border districts, like mine, have suffered under her lack of leadership,” Ciscomani said. “If she was truly serious about addressing the crisis at the border, she would have done something as the sitting Vice President to help border communities that have been calling for help.”