In a 1988 treatise, the Stanford professor and Marxist economist criticized low-skilled immigration’s impact on American workers, particularly the Black community, raising questions about the disparity between his views and those of his daughter, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Donald Harris, the father of Vice President Kamala Harris, has long been a critic of mass immigration, particularly regarding its impact on low-skilled American workers. In a 1988 treatise he co-authored, titled Black Economic Progress: An Agenda for the 1990s, he highlighted concerns that the influx of low-skilled workers could exacerbate economic disparities faced by Black Americans.
Now 86 years old, Donald Harris stated in the treatise, “Trends in international trade have moved against U.S. workers,” adding that changes to U.S. immigration laws had facilitated an increase in low-skilled immigration. “This shift has been a particularly serious problem for blacks, who constitute a high proportion of the low-skilled adult workers,” he noted, emphasizing the competitive pressures this creates in the job market.
Despite residing just two miles from his daughter in Washington, D.C., the father and daughter reportedly have a strained relationship, rarely speaking since their divorce from Kamala’s mother in 1972, which included a contentious custody battle.
The views expressed by Donald Harris reflect a more traditional perspective on immigration that contrasts sharply with the policies supported by his daughter, who has advocated for pathways to citizenship for illegal immigrants as a central tenet of her 2024 presidential campaign. The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 aimed to provide legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants, which critics argue could negatively affect job opportunities and wages for marginalized communities, particularly Black Americans.
Shermichael Singleton, a Black GOP political consultant, echoed these concerns, stating, “The influx of illegal immigrants and thus low-skilled labor advocated by Harris/Walz exacerbates inequalities by driving down wages and creating competition among those already marginalized.” He further asserted that the welfare of native-born citizens, particularly those historically affected by injustices, must take precedence over immigration policies.
The divergence in perspectives between Donald Harris and Kamala Harris raises important questions about the complexities of immigration policy, economic equity, and the challenges of addressing systemic issues within the Black community. While Donald Harris has long championed a more cautious approach to immigration, Vice President Harris continues to promote a progressive agenda that seeks to offer legal pathways for undocumented individuals, highlighting the broader ideological rifts within American politics today.
Both the Harris campaign and Donald Harris did not respond to requests for comment, leaving many to speculate on the implications of these contrasting viewpoints within the ongoing national discourse on immigration.
