Indian-American United States senator-elect from California, Kamala Harris, on Thursday pledged to fight against presidential election winner Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies. Harris said she would do everything in her power as senator to protect both legal and illegal immigrants from the Republican’s plans, which include the mass deportation of illegal immigrants and a proposed ban on all Muslims from entering the US, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The Democrat also called Trump’s proposal to build a border wall between the US and Mexico “absolutely unrealistic”. “There are a lot of people, as a result of this election, who are feeling dispirited,” she said at an event organised by an immigrant rights group. “The issue of how we are treating our immigrants, and in particular our undocumented immigrants, is one of the most critical ones facing our country.”
The senator-elect added that she had met with immigrant families who feared being forced to leave the US after Trump’s win. She said a bipartisan agreement was necessary to fix the country’s immigration system, and that most Republicans recognised the need for reform.
Trump won the presidential election on November 9, defeating his opponent and Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton by winning more than 270 electoral college votes – the number of votes needed to win the polls. The Republican Party also gained a majority in the House of Representatives and the US Senate.
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