Kamala Harris says she would “double” DOJ resources to crack down on cartels

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday that she will “double” Justice Department resources to crack down on cartels and stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., just hours after former President Donald Trump repeated his false claim , she wants to legalize fentanyl medicine.

“As president, I will double the resources of the Department of Justice to pursue these transnational cartels and take action to stop the flow of fentanyl into our country that is destroying entire communities,” Harris said in her speech here.

She made similar comments Friday during her trip to the southern border in Arizona.

At a rally on Saturday, Trump also discussed fentanyl and baselessly claimed that Harris wanted to legalize it.

“She's so radical that she even wants to legalize fentanyl immediately,” he told a crowd in Wisconsin on Saturday, a claim he repeated to a crowd in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses last year. Data showed that nearly 70% of deaths were due to synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl.

Trump has long argued that a Harris administration would create chaos at the border, saying at his rally Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania, that people “have been murdered because of their actions at the border and thousands more will follow in rapid succession.” and demanded that she “be charged and prosecuted for her actions.”

Harris, who recently sought to confront political vulnerability head-on with a visit to the border, highlighted what has become a common refrain when she talks about immigration, pointing to Trump's successful push to pass a bipartisan border deal in Congress in February smashed. She contrasted Trump's vision with her goal of enacting “comprehensive immigration reform.”

“We need comprehensive immigration reform with strong border security and an earned path to citizenship, including for hardworking immigrants who have been here for years, including our Dreamers,” Harris said.

According to the Nevada Democratic Party, more than 7,500 people attended the rally. Sunday's rally was Harris' second in Nevada since she launched her presidential bid.

Nnamdi Egwuonwu reported from Las Vegas and Megan Lebowitz reported from Washington.