Public Record
Immigration and Andy Harris
He markets “law and order” toughness. His record shows opposition to workable reform, support for punitive-only enforcement, weakened humanitarian protections—and no credible plan for the Eastern Shore’s real-world labor and community realities.
What Harris says publicly
On his official immigration issue page and in public remarks, Andy Harris portrays himself as a defender of “law and order” and national sovereignty. He regularly emphasizes:
- Securing the border
- Enforcing existing immigration laws
- Opposing “amnesty”
- Protecting American jobs and public safety
- Framing immigration as a threat requiring tough, uncompromising action
His rhetoric presents immigration as a crisis caused by federal failure—and himself as someone willing to be “tough” where others won’t.
Voting record
Where Harris has supported Eastern Shore immigration interests
Supported agricultural guest worker programs critical to Eastern Shore farms
Harris has supported maintaining the H-2A agricultural guest worker visa program, which Maryland's Eastern Shore farms depend on heavily for seasonal labor. H-2A program data is tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor. (Source: USDA — Farm Labor; DOL — H-2A Program)
Advocated for Eastern Shore employers on workforce shortage issues
Harris has raised rural workforce pipeline concerns in his capacity as Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman. His committee role is verifiable through Congress.gov; specific statements are available in committee hearing records. (Source: Congress.gov — Harris committees)
Supported border security measures tied to drug interdiction
Harris has backed border and port security investments aimed at reducing fentanyl and drug trafficking — a concern he has raised specifically in relation to the Port of Baltimore and Eastern Shore communities affected by the opioid crisis. (Source: myeasternshoremd.com — Harris visits Eastern Shore delegation)
Where Harris has opposed immigrant communities and labor
Opposed pathways to legal status for long-term undocumented residents
Harris has consistently voted against legislation offering pathways to legal status or citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients and agricultural workers — workers who constitute a significant share of the Eastern Shore's labor force. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Voted against the Dream and Promise Act
Harris voted against the American Dream and Promise Act, which would have provided a pathway to permanent residency for DACA recipients and those with Temporary Protected Status — including individuals who have lived and worked in Maryland for decades. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Supported enforcement-only immigration frameworks
Harris has backed enforcement-first immigration bills that prioritize deportation and detention without corresponding investment in legal processing capacity — an approach critics say undermines the agricultural and service industries on the Eastern Shore that rely on immigrant labor. (Source: GovTrack — Harris votes)
Backed policies enabling ICE to arrest Marylanders with no criminal record
Harris has consistently supported the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, which in Maryland has resulted in ICE making more than 3,200 arrests in the first nine months of Trump's second term — nearly three times the rate under Biden. More than half of those arrested had no criminal history. In Maryland, only 10% of immigrants arrested in 2025 were violent criminals, down from 19% in 2024 — even as total arrests surged. Advocates and former federal officials have documented erosion of due-process rights, with immigrants arrested at workplaces, during routine ICE check-ins, and at immigration courthouses. The Eastern Shore's agricultural workforce — the backbone of the region's food economy — has been directly affected. (Source: Baltimore Banner — Maryland ICE arrests data, Dec. 2025; Maryland Matters — ICE tactics in Maryland)
Supported funding a detention system documented for abuse, deaths, and due-process violations
Harris voted for the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which included $45 billion in new ICE detention funding — even as federal watchdogs and immigration advocates documented overcrowding, substandard medical care, and worsening conditions across ICE facilities. Fiscal year 2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detention on record, with at least 15 people dying in custody out of more than 59,000 detained — the highest detention population in six years. The Trump administration simultaneously dismantled the oversight offices responsible for monitoring detainee rights. A 2024 ACLU report found that 95% of documented deaths in ICE custody between 2017–2021 were likely preventable. Maryland was directly implicated: Eastern Shore pastor and Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador despite a court order protecting him from removal, and was held there for months in defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court order to return him. (Source: American Immigration Council — ICE detention report, Feb. 2026; NPR — ICE detention civil rights, Oct. 2025; Maryland Matters — Abrego Garcia and ICE raids)
Impact on communities on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Families in limbo
Harris’s opposition to reform keeps families separated, uncertain, and vulnerable—even those who have lived and worked in the district for decades.
Economic disruption
Enforcement-first policies destabilize industries that rely on immigrant labor, harming small businesses and local employers.
Fear-based governance
Aggressive rhetoric paired with punitive policy fuels fear, racial profiling, and mistrust—without delivering stability or solutions.
Public Statements and Voting Record
Bottom line: Public Statements and Voting Record
Where he has supported Eastern Shore immigration interests
- Backed H-2A agricultural guest worker program
- Raised workforce concerns on behalf of rural employers
- Supported drug interdiction measures at ports of entry
Where he has opposed immigrant communities
- Voted against pathways to legal status for long-term residents
- Voted against the Dream and Promise Act
- Supported enforcement-only immigration frameworks
- Backed mass ICE arrests that targeted Marylanders with no criminal record (2025)
- Voted to fund a detention system documented for deaths, overcrowding, and due-process violations