Speaker Johnson heads to California border as House GOP amps up attacks on Harris

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is heading to the southern border in California to promote Republicans ' election integrity bill and blast the Biden administration's immigration policies.

The speaker's visit comes as Republicans are shifting their attention to Vice President Kamala Harris now that President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, seeking to emphasize Harris's role as the Biden administration's "border czar."

Johnson will speak at a press conference at 8:15 p.m. EDT with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) at the "Whiskey 8" border fence in San Ysidro, California. He will also tour the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and Imperial Beach locations.

California has been a hot spot for border crossings, particularly in San Diego , which is south of San Ysidro.

California could also be the state on which control of the House hinges, with both parties targeting several swing seats as Democrats seek to regain leadership and Republicans look to expand their razor-thin majority. As Harris's home state, where she served as a U.S. senator, attorney general, and prosecutor, targeting the vice president over policies such as immigration and the economy could boost GOP chances in the Golden State.

The visit to the southern border also comes hours after all Republicans and six Democrats voted to condemn Harris as the "border czar ." While Republicans have focused mainly on the president's age and health, now lawmakers are turning toward attacking Harris over the border — as immigration remains one of the top voter concerns heading into November.

Democrats have pushed back against the "fake and fraudulent" resolution and the "border czar" moniker.

"She was never assigned the position of 'border czar,'" House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said during his weekly press conference Thursday. "They are making that up because extreme MAGA Republicans are in full meltdown. They don't really know what to do, and they lack an affirmative agenda."

Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said the resolution was just another example of "playing politics."

“It’s not surprising to anybody what they’re doing. It’s almost laughable," Aguilar told the Washington Examiner. "But there was no ‘border czar’ position ... this is Republicans carrying water for Donald Trump."

"If they can’t pass appropriations bills, and they’re going to try to distract and divert and play some politics, and that should be expected," the caucus chairman continued.

Johnson said on Tuesday that Harris is the "co-owner, co-author, co-conspirator in all the policies that got us into the mess," referring to the influx of immigrants at the southern border.

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Johnson's last visit to the southern border was in January when he led a delegation of 64 Republicans to tour the Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Texas. The House has passed its border security bill, the Secure the Border Act, but Republicans refused to bring a bipartisan Senate bill to the floor for a vote after former President Donald Trump pressured Republicans to kill the deal.

Part of the conference will highlight the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a bill the House passed at the beginning of the month that would bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The bill was introduced by the speaker and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the lead sponsor, in May after the speaker joined Trump at Mar-a-Lago to voice concerns about election integrity heading into November.