Victims of illegal immigrant criminals who avoided prison time thanks to a program created by Vice President Kamala Harris said the incident was an eye-opener and they now support the policies of former President Donald Trump, according to ABC News.
Amanda Keefer suffered a fractured skull when Alexander Izaguirre, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, snatched her purse, jumped in his car and tried to run her over in 2008. Izaguirre had been arrested on drug charges before the attack but had avoided prison because he was selected for a jobs program created by Harris, who was then the San Francisco district attorney. (Related story: “Disappointing, but not surprising”: Move to repeal New York City's sanctuary law faces major obstacles)
Kiefer, now 45, said his political views changed after the violent attack. according to He gave an interview to ABC News.
“When policies affect you negatively, it wakes you up,” Kiefer told ABC News, who said she described herself as a liberal before the attack but now supports Trump's policies.
US Vice President Kamala Harris (right) tours the El Paso US Customs and Border Protection Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas, on June 25, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Harris, who served as San Francisco's top prosecutor from 2004 to 2011, led an initiative called “Back on Track.” according to According to a 2009 article in the Los Angeles Times, the program was designed to help felons expunge their convictions by participating in job programs instead of serving time in prison, but Harris was unaware that her office was enrolling illegal immigrants in the program until the 2008 Kiefer raid.
Harris called the decision to allow illegal immigrants into “Back on Track” “flawed” and vowed to not let them into the program in the future, according to the Los Angeles Times, and said she did not know how many illegal immigrants ended up in the program.
“If people who have committed crimes were allowed to get out of prison to train for jobs they couldn't legally get, I think most Americans would be opposed to that,” Kiefer told ABC News.
According to ABC News, Kiefer has donated multiple times to Republican causes since 2020. He also said it was “ludicrous” that Harris was positioning herself as a tough prosecutor who would go after convicted felons.
Since President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, Harris has established herself as a leading Democratic contender and has drawn increased attention to her record on immigration.
A spokesman for the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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