The Associated Press said Vice President Kamala Harris has adopted a “long-term” approach to President Joe Biden’s migrant influx and praised her record on immigration policy.
The Associated Press claimed on August 14:
Harris was never a “border czar” or in charge of border security or preventing illegal crossings, as former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and sometimes the media have claimed. According to administration officials, Harris was tasked in March 2021 with addressing the “root causes” of migration from the Northern Triangle countries and encouraging Northern Triangle leaders to work with Mexico to enforce immigration laws.
The Associated Press reported that Harris was “tasked with addressing the “root causes” of migration from Central America.
But the words “root causes” were originally attributed to Harris, not Joe Biden, when he announced in March 2021 that Biden had agreed to take on the broader task of “stemming” migration from many countries.
Politico.com reported on August 10 that Harris “resisted taking responsibility for the immigration issue…she bristled at suggestions that she should be directly involved in fixing the border.”
Mark Krikorian, president of the Center for Immigration Studies, said Harris rejected the broad mandate because it’s a “troubling issue” for the Democratic Party’s anti-border progressive establishment.
Flashback: MSNBC’s Ruhle questions Kamala Harris’ position on border crisis – “She was supposed to be in charge”
Since then, 10 million migrants have flooded the southern US border, including many from Asia, South America and Africa, driving down wages, raising home prices and threatening Ms Harris’ chances of winning in the 2024 election.
The flooding contradicted Harris’ office’s claims of success.
Harris’ staff claimed she had generated more than $5.2 billion in pledged investments for Central American countries, but the Associated Press acknowledged that only $1.3 billion had gone to “root causes” in the region.
The confession was made in paragraph 33 of the Associated Press article: Heading “With the number of people crossing the border on the rise, Kamala Harris has chosen a long-term approach to this issue.”
Events on March 24, 2021
Harris’ 2021 resistance to President Biden’s border controls was caught on camera when Biden said:
Today, as Vice President, I asked her to lead our efforts in Mexico and the Northern Triangle, because she is best qualified for that role. of [other] country I need help Blocking movement Many people Prevent migration To the southern border… When she speaks, she speaks for me. There’s no need for me to check with her, she knows what she’s doing and I hope this goes well. [Emphasis added]
“The Vice President Agreed … Lead diplomatic efforts and work with countries that are accepting returnees. stepping up immigration enforcement at the borderBiden spoke to cameras invited to the occasion. [Emphasis added]
Joe Biden nominated Kamala Harris in March 2021 to be his border and immigration chief.
Here’s the video of her officially taking on the responsibility:
pic.twitter.com/SwEcPekBWO— Shawn Farash (@Shawn_Farash) July 24, 2024
Harris was responding to Biden’s broad range of policies, saying she agreed with them. commission By focusing on the “root causes” of migration,
Thank you, Mr. President, for your trust in me. There is no doubt that this is a difficult situation. It is clear that people should not be coming to the border right now, but I also understand that we will enforce the law. And I also understand that people can walk around chewing gum, so The root causes must be addressed As the President said, it’s what makes people want to come here. [Emphasis added]
“She said, ‘No, I’m just the root cause,'” Krikorian told The Associated Press.
Some members of her team viewed Biden’s committee as a “no-win mission,” the Associated Press acknowledged.
The “Border Emperor” orders The day before Biden told reporters at the White House. Press Conference On March 25, he said he wanted many of the migrants to return home.
RELATED: Migrants cross the Rio Grande ahead of Texas-Mexico border patrol operation
“They should all come home. They should all come home. The only people who shouldn’t be sitting alone on the other side of the Rio Grande with no help are children,” Biden said.
At the same press conference on March 25, Biden also appeared to narrow Harris’ appointed role by portraying the increased influx as a seasonal shift in Central American migration and repeating Harris’ “root cause” language.
The way to address this problem, and this is something I’ve been working on since I was a United States Senator, indeed Vice President, is to put together a bipartisan plan of over $700 million to address the root causes of why people are leaving the country.
…
That’s why yesterday I asked the Vice President of the United States to lead an effort to focus on the root reasons why people are leaving Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador in the first place: because of earthquakes and floods. because of food shortages. because of gang violence. There are a variety of reasons.
The media touted Harris as being up for promotion to “Minister for Border Affairs” in 2021, but soon I backtracked. Harris was nominated to succeed Biden.
March 24th Meeting Included Biden’s border chief is Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas, a pro-immigration advocate, who quickly dismantled Trump’s border defenses starting on January 20, 2021. For unknown reasons, Biden was unable to force Mayorkas to implement the March 25 policy “Bring everyone home.”
Biden likely backed away from the issue because of his party’s ideological opposition to the border, Krikorian told Breitbart News.
He didn’t have the political flexibility to stop this. [as the flood rose]… Others in the administration, like Susan Rice, must have wanted to get this over with somehow. But what were they going to do? [border chief Alejandro] The Mallorcans? Facing backlash from their own people? Not just donors, but activists and their entire support base. They were at a standstill.
Mayorkas has strong support from his party. West Coast Wing Pro-immigration Investors and DonorsFor example, Mark Zuckerberg’s advocacy group FWD.us has strongly supported Mayorkas.
From 2021 onwards, Harris Echoed Mayorkas used his legal skills and political backing to promote pro-immigration language as he cut off “safe and humane” quasi-legal routes for migrants to cross the border and evade vigilant judges at home.
“The president and I are committed to ensuring that our immigration system is orderly and humane, and I believe we are making progress on that front,” Harris said in June 2021 while standing next to Mayorkas.
