Border senator eyed as VP pick could help Harris with key weakness

An Arizona senator rumored to be one of the top contenders for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate has previously backed border wall construction, and has at times been critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., has been named in multiple reports as a possible vice presidential pick for Harris – who has taken heat for her handling of the crisis as what Republicans have nicknamed the "border czar."

But while Harris has a record of left-wing statements in relation to immigration, including calls to cut enforcement funding, Kelly has a significantly more moderate record on the matter as a senator from a border state.

KAMALA HARRIS AND THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS: A TIMELINE

While broadly supportive of the Biden administration, Kelly has also shown a willingness to push back against the administration. In 2021, after President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress in April, Kelly was the only Democratic senator to fault Biden for not mentioning the border crisis.

In a letter the same year, he told Biden that he should continue construction of the border wall "where they make sense." Specifically, he pointed to a stretch in Yuma Sector that was a popular point for border crossings. Those gaps have since been filled.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Image)

In 2022, with reports of the administration planning to end Title 42 expulsions, Kelly sounded the alarm about the administration not having a plan in place.

"In this case, the administration hasn't even prepared, and they don't have a plan for what to expect," he told Fox News Digital.

At the same time, he has been supportive of a number of Biden-era actions, including the executive order in June that limited entries into the United States at times of high levels of border crossings.

Kelly also has a bipartisan record he can point to – with a series of high-profile pieces of legislation on the matter. He introduced a bill with Republicans to increase Border Patrol pay by 14% and add a new reserve force, and introduced a bill with Republicans that would require Homeland Security to produce a strategic plan to deal with a migrant surge.

AXIOS HIT WITH COMMUNITY NOTE AFTER CLAIMING HARRIS WAS NEVER ‘BORDER CZAR’

He’s also pushed hard for extra resources at the border from the federal government, and his office has pointed to a number of items across multiple spending bills that they say he has secured. This year his office highlighted extra money for border security operations and technology – including fentanyl detection and integrated surveillance towers. Kelly also supported the bipartisan border security agreement unveiled in the Senate earlier this year that would have increased border funding and restricted entries into the interior, and accused Republicans of having "ran away from this agreement."

When backing Biden’s executive order, he also took aim at Republicans for not passing the Senate deal.

Sen. Mark Kelly speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

"This is only necessary because Congress has failed to do its duty to help fix the border and there is no substitute for that," he said. "The Senate has twice had the opportunity to take up an agreement negotiated by Republicans and Democrats to invest in more Border Patrol agents, technology and personnel to stop fentanyl, officers to quickly screen asylum claims, and other lasting solutions, but both times my Republican colleagues walked away."  

Some in the state have said that they believe picking Kelly would be the smart move for Harris.

"I think he would help her more on border issues to have a border senator as your vice president," Yuma County Supervisor Tony Reyes told KGUN.

Politico reported that three congressional Democrats from the border states of California and Texas are publicly pushing for Kelly.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Presidential candidates often use their choice of a running mate to help shore up any perceived weaknesses, and Republicans have hammered Harris on her handling of the border crisis.

Harris was put in charge of international diplomacy to tackle the "root causes" of the migrant crisis in 2021. It led to her being dubbed the "border czar," and she would visit the border, Mexico and Guatemala. While the White House has rejected the czar title, Republicans have connected her to the still-ongoing border crisis.

"Kamala Harris was appointed border czar, as you know, in March 2021, and since that time, millions and millions of illegal aliens have invaded our country, and countless Americans have been killed by migrant crime because of her willful demolition of American borders and laws," former President Trump said on a press call last week.

The Harris campaign has pushed back, contrasting her record with Trump’s record in office.

"The only ‘plan’ Donald Trump has to secure our border is ripping mothers from their children and a few xenophobic placards at the Republican National Convention. He tanked the toughest bipartisan border security deal in a generation because for Donald Trump, this has never been about actually securing the border – it’s always about himself. He can make up whatever lies he wants but the fact is there’s only one candidate in this race who will fight for real solutions to help secure our nation’s border, and that’s Vice President Harris," Harris campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said.

Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub. 

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Twitter.