Tipsheet

Biden Appoints the ‘Most Qualified’ Person to Handle the Border Crisis

Katie Pavlich
Katie Pavlich  |  March 24, 2021 3:40 PM

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday afternoon he is appointing Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the diplomatic effort to stem the flow of illegal immigration from Central America. The move comes as a catastrophe continues to unfold — by the hour — along the U.S. southern border with Mexico. 

“I have asked her, the VP today, because she is the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border,” Biden said, seated next to Harris at the White House. “I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this than a former – this is a woman who ran the second-largest attorney general’s office in America, after the United States attorney general, in the state of California.”

“This increase has been consequential, but the vice president has agreed, among the multiple other things I have had her leading, and I appreciate it, agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and to work with those nations to accept the returnees and enhance migration enforcement at their borders,” he continued. “It’s not her full responsibility job, but she is leading the effort because I think the best thing to do is to put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don’t have to wonder about, is that where the president is. When she speaks, she speaks for me, doesn’t have to check with me, she knows what she’s doing, and I hope we can move this along.”

Just two days ago, Harris was asked by a reporter whether she plans to visit the border. She laughed out loud before answering the question.

Today, her tone was different as the crisis continues to escalate.

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“I look forward to engaging in diplomacy with government, with private sector, with civil society and the leaders of each in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to strengthen democracy and the rule of law and ensure shared prosperity in the region,” Harris said about the new responsibility. “We will collaborate with Mexico and other countries in the western hemisphere.”

“I also look forward to working with members of the Congress who I think share our perspective on the need to address root causes for the migration that we’ve been seeing,” she continued. “Needless to say, the work will not be easy but it is important work. It is work that we demand and the people of our countries I believe need to help stem the tide that we have seen.”

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is still refusing to allow reporters into overcrowded detention facilities.