Overview
A 2019 questionnaire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed Vice President Kamala Harris’s progressive stances on key issues, such as decreasing funding for ICE, supporting gender transition surgeries for federal prisoners, and decriminalizing hard drugs. These positions, now resurfacing, show the extent to which Harris leaned left during her presidential campaign.
Why It Matters
Harris’s positions reflect a broader push within the Democratic Party towards policies that weaken immigration enforcement and prioritize social issues, raising concerns over national security and public safety.
Who It Impacts
These policies primarily affect American citizens who value strong borders and law enforcement, as well as the broader public concerned with the implications of decriminalizing hard drugs.
A newly resurfaced questionnaire from Kamala Harris’s 2019 presidential campaign has reignited debate over her progressive stances on several controversial issues. The questionnaire, filled out for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), showcases her hard-left positions on immigration, law enforcement, and public health policies that were designed to appeal to the far-left base of the Democratic Party during the primary campaign.
According to CNN’s investigative reporter Andrew Kaczynski, who revealed the details of the form during an interview with host Erin Burnett, Harris’s responses positioned her to the left of both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren at the time. “Kamala Harris was trying to get to the left of Bernie Sanders. She was trying to get to the left of Elizabeth Warren, and you really see that in a lot of these answers,” Kaczynski explained.
One of Harris’s key proposals was a plan to drastically reduce immigration enforcement. She pledged to cut funding for ICE, close family and private detention centers, and slash immigration detention by 50%. Furthermore, she endorsed an end to ICE’s cooperation with local law enforcement, effectively weakening immigration enforcement across the board. These policy proposals directly aligned with the more radical segments of the Democratic Party pushing for an open-border agenda.
On social issues, Harris also voiced support for controversial policies that have garnered significant criticism. She declared that gender-transition surgeries were a “medical necessity” and vowed to ensure that federal agencies, including those overseeing prisons, provide these treatments to individuals in their care. This position, alongside her stance on immigration, raised eyebrows during the primary campaign, as she sought to appeal to progressive voters.
The questionnaire also shed light on Harris’s stance on drug policy. When asked whether she would support the federal decriminalization of all drug possession for personal use, Harris answered yes. Kaczynski emphasized the breadth of this policy, noting that it would apply to all substances, including fentanyl, cocaine, and other hard drugs. Harris’s support for decriminalizing these substances represents one of the most radical positions taken by a prominent national figure on drug policy.
Despite these positions, Harris’s current views on these issues remain unclear. An unnamed campaign adviser told CNN that her positions have been shaped by three years of governance under the Biden administration, but they declined to provide specifics on how her views have evolved. Harris’s campaign has yet to clarify where she stands on these issues as she prepares for the 2024 election.
The ACLU has stated that it does not plan to ask Harris to complete a new questionnaire for the upcoming presidential race, leaving voters without an updated perspective on how her views may have shifted. As her past positions resurface, they will likely become a point of contention during the upcoming election, especially as voters consider how her policies would impact national security, immigration enforcement, and drug policy.
Harris’s positions in the 2019 questionnaire reflect a broader trend within her party towards policies that weaken immigration enforcement, support for expanding healthcare to include gender-transition surgeries for federal prisoners, and the push for radical drug decriminalization. With national security and law enforcement on the minds of many voters, these policies could present significant challenges for her as she seeks to appeal to a broader electorate in 2024.
