Vice President Kamala Harris is getting tired of being asked why she has not seen the ongoing border crisis firsthand despite being tasked with addressing the decades-long immigration problem. While visiting Guatemala City on Monday, Harris said she would rather speak with the leaders of countries than engage in "grand gesture."
Her answer is very revealing for a couple of reasons. First, that's not the real reason. If Harris or President Joe Biden, for that matter, were to go to the southern border and see the hundreds of people illegally crossing into the United States, it would be hard for them to say what is happening is not a crisis. Also, the photos and videos of Harris walking through detention facilities packed with unaccompanied minors would follow her through the rest of her political career.
Now, let's take Harris at her word on not wanting to participate in "grand gesture." Well, someone should tell Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) about doing publicity stunts since Sen. Harris visited the border a few times when Donald Trump was president, even doing T.V. interviews.
THROWBACK: In 2018, Senator Kamala Harris visited the border and criticized a “zero-tolerance policy” on immigration.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 8, 2021
Today, VP Harris pled with Guatemalans: “Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border.” pic.twitter.com/eTdVkuUBdt
MUST WATCH: Senator @KamalaHarris on #AbolishICE
— Way Too Early with Kasie Hunt (@WayTooEarly) June 24, 2018
“I think there’s no question that we’ve got to critically re-examine ICE, and its role, and the way that it is being administered, and the work it is doing. And we need to probably think about starting from scratch." pic.twitter.com/iGjC12C52o
I understand that some might view such a trip as simply a photo op, but as someone who has been to the border eight times in just a few months this year, there is real value in seeing the crisis and the human toll up close. From local sheriffs, Texas Highway Patrol, ranchers, and local residents, there is a real impact of the surge they see every day, and it helps to hear from it in the environment they live in.
It is not a "grand gesture" to talk with unaccompanied minors, some as young as seven or eight, and hear where they are from, where their parents are, and what happened to them on the perilous journey up north, as I have since March. It's tough seeing the human toll of the smuggling that has jumped to eleven now that the demand to illegally cross has increased significantly.
All of this did not need to happen, but because Biden had to get rid of everything Trump did because "orange man bad," we are now seeing an increase of migrants dying, being taken advantage of, and disappearing altogether. Since the direct impact is nowhere to be found for our ruling class in Washington, D.C., and New York City, there is no rush to solve the problem. Out of sight, out of mind.
Harris's continued absence at the border is another example of how Democrats do not really care about solving the issue that negatively affects Americans and migrants alike.
