While VP Harris’ supporters have denied she should be called the “border czar,” she officially received the title on Thursday in a bipartisan House resolution condemning her and the Biden administration for failing to tackle illegal immigration.
This comes after a long wait, according to a former head of the union that represents thousands of Border Patrol agents.
“This is long overdue, but it’s absolutely necessary. Better late than never,” Brandon Judd, former president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News Digital. “If you look at her record on March 21, when she was appointed to address the root causes of migration, which of course is the definition of a border patrol agent, she failed to deliver.”
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From the start of the Biden administration, Vice President Harris was tasked with addressing the root causes of mass migration from Central and South America. (REUTERS/Kevin Mohat/Pool)
Harris has been widely criticized for her approach to immigration over the years. Her outgoing boss, President Biden, directed her to address the root causes of illegal migration from three problematic countries, also known as the Northern Triangle – Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador – but illegal crossings reached record levels between 2021 and 2023.
“She didn’t take into account the drug cartel pressures that were driving this move. She refused to discuss crime. She refused to discuss the criminal activity that exists on the border,” Judd said. “All she talked about were problems that existed long before his term as vice president and problems that have existed for a long time. And yet, even though those problems existed, President Trump had no problem addressing them.”
During her unsuccessful 2020 presidential run, she supported decriminalizing illegal immigration in a televised debate, and with Biden dropping out of the race over the weekend, she is now the Democratic front-runner for 2024. Biden stumbled in a debate with his Republican opponent, former President Trump, last month and has spent weeks failing to convince voters – and Democratic elites – that he is fit to be commander in chief.
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On March 21, 2024, migrants swarmed the border wall in an attempt to illegally enter the United States. (James Breeden for the New York Post/Mega)
Months before the debate sparked questions about Biden’s mental health, a Fox News poll showed that approval ratings for his immigration policies had hit an all-time low.
In recent days, migrants have been spotted crossing the southern border from all over the world, including Asia and Africa. According to Rep. Greg Murphy (RN), illegal immigration from China has increased by 8,000 percent.
“Across our nation, illegal immigration is destroying innocent lives, smothering fentanyl and causing more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths each year,” Gov. Murphy said in a statement after voting in favor of the censure. “Furthermore, our lawful immigration process is being tainted and our nation’s sovereignty is being violated.”
An illegal immigrant dressed in camouflage uniform was spotted smuggling into the country. (Zavola County Sheriff’s Office)
Throughout the first half of this year, the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua has expanded its influence in the United States, allegedly carrying out a series of robberies in New York City targeting women’s cellphones and handbags.
Harris’ supporters refuse to recognise her as a “border minister” and say her job is not to tackle illegal immigration from countries outside the Northern Triangle.
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People wait to cross the Mexico-U.S. border on Dec. 27, 2023, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Cristian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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But the House resolution formally names Harris “border czar” and criticizes her and the Biden administration for “failing to secure the United States’ border.”
Immigrant crime has also become a problem under the Biden administration. Statistics are hard to come by, but police departments that previously refused to comment on the immigration status of suspects they arrested have become noticeably more vocal in their criticism after arresting undocumented immigrants in connection with violent crimes.
An illegal immigrant suspect in the murder of a Texas girl was recently arrested by the Border Patrol and released into the US.
President Biden walks along the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on January 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
“She has failed to address the root causes that she has identified and then refused to go a step further and discuss the causes of the crime that is occurring at the border,” Judd said. “This is a great vote to censure her and I’m glad Democrats have joined in supporting her.”
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Six Democrats, including four from states that border Mexico or Canada, joined all Republicans in voting in favor of the bill, and it passed 220-196.
“I’ve been told that Vice President Harris’ job is to find the root causes of the crisis. [It] “If that’s what she wanted, she just had to look in the mirror,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said during House debate on the bill.
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The Homeland Security Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), called the bill criticizing Harris a “second-rate attempt at election interference.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) accused Republicans of “inventing” the title “border secretary.”
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Bill Melgin contributed to this report.
