Vice President Kamala Harris has apologized Friday for a 2010 tweet that suggested undocumented immigrants should be deported.
Jamal Simmons, a longtime Democratic strategist who was recently tapped as the chief spokesperson for Harris, issued a statement saying he sometimes missed the mark in his years as a political commentator. I have spoken out about public issues as a pundit for much of my career. Sometimes I have been sarcastic, unclear, or just plainly missed the mark, Simmons said. I apologize for offending those who care as much as I do about making America the best, multi-ethnic, diverse democracy it can be. I know that the role I am taking on is to represent the Biden-Harris administration, and I will do so with humility, sincerity and respect. The statement was issued in response to online backlash, particularly from progressives, to a decade-old tweet on immigration enforcement.
I saw 2 undocumented people talking on MSNBC. Can someone explain why ICE is not picking them up? In 2010 Simmons tweeted.
The sentiment expressed in the tweet is in stark contrast to the Biden administration's immigration policies. In order to curb deportations, the administration put in place new guidelines last year that would allow them to stop deportations in President Joe Biden's first 100 days. Harris has been tasked with addressing the root causes of migration.
Some immigration hardliners, including Stephen Miller, who was a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump, highlighted Simmons' tweet by saying they agreed with his 2010 remark.
I agree with JamalSimmons. Miller said that if you break into our nation, there must be deportation.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Harris has seen a number of high-level departures from her office, including a shakeup on her communications team, less than a year since taking office. Simmons was tapped to replace Ashley Etienne, who left in November, while another top aide, Symone Sanders, left in December.