Kamala Harris Clears Air About Her Role In US-Mexico Border Crisis

Kamala Harris on Monday opened up about her role in leading the Biden administration’s response to the US-Mexico Border migration issue. She said that her focus has been "about bringing together" cabinet secretaries.

“When we’re looking at my focus, which is a diplomatic focus on the Northern Triangle, it is about bringing together... as I did now, I think, a couple of weeks ago, the members of the Cabinet. And the progress there is that Commerce, for example, is going to host a virtual trade mission,” she said during a trip to North Carolina, reported New York Post.

“The Department of Agriculture, under the leadership of Secretary Vilsack, is increasing its focus on the work that needs to happen to support the agricultural efforts of that region that have been decimated because of extreme climate, because of poverty. But it’s evidencing itself in a number of ways, including extreme food insecurity in that region. We’re bringing together USAID, which is increasing its work around its program that is focused on disaster relief. So this is some of the work that’s happening.”

This comes after President Biden on March 24 gave her the responsibility to lead the administration’s response to the increase in the number of migrants at the border, including families and unaccompanied minors from the “Northern Triangle” in Central America.

But the White House later said that she would address only the “root causes” of migration. Since then Harris has not been involved in directly handling the crisis.

Harris has spoken by phone with the leaders of Guatemala and Mexico, but she has not visited the border or Central America, or communicated with the leaders of El Salvador and Honduras. She is now looking forward to visit Guatemala and Mexico soon.

Meanwhile, the top Republicans on three House committees wrote a letter Monday and asked Harris for a meeting to discuss migration. It read, “It is unclear what, if any actions you have directed or plan to initiate to respond to the crisis that continues to worsen each day."

Harris told reporters in North Carolina that “we are making progress, but let’s just be very clear: This is a complicated, complex issue that actually has been an issue for a long time. And the work that we are putting into it now is work that is going to require a longstanding commitment beyond the administration’s. It is work that is not going to evidence its impact overnight because the issues are so intractable.”

Last week, House Republicans displayed Harris 'Missing Children'-inspired milk carton at a press conference for being absent on border crisis, reported Fox News.

"If she’s the vice president of the United States and the president put her in charge of this, Vice President Harris needs to go down to the border and see this for herself," said House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. "Because maybe she would then encourage President Biden to reverse his policies that have failed," he added.