A conservative think tank is demanding the Department of Homeland Security hand over documents that refer to Vice President Kamala Harris as a “border czar,” a position the Democratic presidential candidate claims doesn’t exist.
The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project and its executive director, Mike Howell, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday, demanding the department turn over “certain records relating to Vice President Kamala Harris and her role as ‘border czar’ in the Biden-Harris Administration.”
AXIOS criticized in community note after claiming Harris was never “emperor of the borders”
Vice President Kamala Harris with migrants at the southern border. Democrats claim Harris has never served as “secretary for border affairs.” (Getty Images)
The Heritage Foundation submitted its request on July 30, but the Department of Homeland Security rejected it for being “overly broad and not specifically identifying the records sought,” the complaint states. The plaintiffs were asked to specify which records they wanted.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Harris campaign and the Department of Homeland Security.
“If she weren’t a border patrol agent, there would be no border patrol agents. Among other excuses, DHS says this request is too burdensome for them,” the Oversight Project posted on X.
Harris’ record on immigration has been a hot topic since she announced her candidacy for president after President Biden dropped out of the race.
Harris broadly states,Border Emperor“After Biden directed her in March 2021 to address the root causes of mass migration from Latin America.”
The New York Times reports on Kamala Harris’ past word salad as a “celebration” during her candidacy
Major media outlets have suggested that Kamala Harris has never been President Biden’s “border secretary,” despite past reports using the same language. (Brendan Smiarowski/AFP)
The words have become a central part of Republican attacks against Harris as she continues her bid for the White House.
While the Biden administration has rejected “border czar” as an informal title for Harris’ role, the term was used by her critics and embraced by several news organizations before she rose to the top of the presidential list.
Last week, Fox News’ Peter Doocy grilled White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about her claim that Harris has never served as “secretary for border affairs.”
“Why are Democrats so sensitive about the VP and the border,” Doocy asked. “Do you think that if there had been less migration to the border, if someone had addressed the ‘root causes’ of migration sooner, the border issue would not be as hot as it is now?”
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy grilled White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday about Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent claim that she has never served as “secretary for border affairs.” (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
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“We’re going to debunk this false portrayal of the vice president,” Jean-Pierre responded. “She was not a border patrol officer. And we’re not alone. Independent fact-checkers are saying the same thing. It didn’t exist and it’s not true.”
In July, the House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to condemn Harris’ handling of the U.S. southern border, with six Democrats joining all Republicans in passing the bill 220-196.
