Last week President Biden sent his second in command to the border to lead efforts to address migration to the southern border. Vice President Kamala Harris had a few assignments on her docket including overseeing diplomatic efforts as the administration delegates foreign policy responsibilities to her.
Just recently she held calls with several of the world’s key leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
So far, Harris has fielded questions from the media but has not held a formal press conference. Meanwhile, the border crisis continues to get worse raising concerns about the nation’s security and the stability of the entire United States immigration system.
When Biden first announced his plan for Harris, he said she would be in charge of sending migrants back to their home countries.
“So this new surge we’re dealing with now started with the last administration,” Biden said last week, “but its our responsibility to deal with it humanely and to-and to stop what’s happening.”
Biden continued, “And so, this increase has been consequential, but the vice president has agreed – among the multiple other things that I have her leading – and I appreciate it – agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept re- – the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders – at their borders.”
Later, the White House tried to claim Harris played no part in the “border crisis,” but was instead focusing on the “root causes – not the border.”
The border crisis itself touches on a long list of issues and different agencies across the federal government, especially those that fall under the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. According to the Vice President’s office, she’ll be working alongside Cabinet members, including the administrator for international development, the secretary of state, and the special envoy for the Northern Triangle.