President Biden hired Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday to lead diplomatic efforts to stem the growing flow of migrants crossing the border with Mexico, handing him one of the government’s most thorny problems.
Although Harris has actively participated in Biden’s efforts to tame the COVID-19 pandemic and revive the economy, she has not yet carved out a specific niche for herself. Her newest work, calling on Mexico and Central American countries to help resolve what the government calls the root causes of migration, is a solo mission for which she will be directly judged.
The assignment shows the seriousness with which Biden, who took on a similar task when he was vice president, is addressing the problem – choosing his second-in-command to represent him in the region.
The work represents a political risk for Harris, who was a highly visible presence in Biden’s early days, but without a distinct portfolio. The government, eager to reverse former President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies, seems to have been surprised by the increase in the number of people crossing the border and images of children in overcrowded detention centers reveal the number of humanitarian victims.
“This new outbreak that we are dealing with now started in the past government, but it is our responsibility,” Biden told reporters ahead of a meeting in the White House with Harris, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.
Biden said that the leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – the so-called Northern Triangle countries, where many migrants begin their journey – and Mexico, which could help deter migrants to the north, will not “have to ask themselves” if Harris speaks for him.
“She doesn’t have to check with me. She knows what she’s doing, ”said Biden, pointing to Harris’s experience as California’s attorney general, where he did“ a lot for human rights ”while fighting organized crime.
Harris said she would work to strengthen democratic institutions in those countries, efforts that she and Biden say will dissuade people from taking the dangerous journey.
“This is undoubtedly a challenging situation,” she added.
Former Harris advisers say it is suitable for the job, although it is a potential minefield. “High risk. Very low reward. But she is passionate about it,” said one, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid alienating Harris or his team.
During a previous interview with CBS, before his new assignment was announced, Harris emphasized the need to combine diplomatic efforts with aid, an approach that Biden was part of in 2014, when he was Vice President of President Obama and unaccompanied minors arrived. in greater numbers.
“Look, we’ve been in office for less than 100 days,” said Harris, asking for patience. “We are dealing with this. We are dealing with this. But it will take a while. And are we frustrated? Are you frustrated? yea. We are.”
Government officials said Harris did not have any immediate travel plans. She spoke the previous Wednesday with a US delegation traveling to Mexico. The delegation was scheduled to proceed to Guatemala, but a senior government official said the plans were abandoned after the eruption of a volcano, which hampered air travel in the region.
A Harris adviser said that the task of leading the commitment to the four countries would not make Harris directly responsible for resolving the immediate problem of the sudden increase in the border. This would continue to be addressed by the departments of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration, and the Health and Human Services departments, which host and supervise unaccompanied minors.
White House officials who informed reporters emphasized that the government would take a humanitarian approach to border issues, contrasting its efforts with the policies of the Trump administration.
“We are acting with a sense of decency in treating migrants as human beings … and treating our neighbors with respect and dignity,” said one of the officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
The problem, which has faced the Democratic and Republican administrations for years, is uncomfortable, said Ben Rohrbaugh, director of border surveillance and security at the White House National Security Council under Obama.
“It is incredibly difficult to deal with migration from the North Triangle, especially with vulnerable groups such as families and children,” he said. “You don’t go in and say, ‘Here’s a helping hand, fix some things’.”
The continued increase in migrants has worried some Democratic strategists, concerned about next year’s midterm election, given the party’s need to continue to win over politically moderate, white, working-class voters who form a key bloc in many states From north.
Similar concerns have been raised publicly in recent days by Democratic members of Congress who represent heavily Latin American districts in Texas, including deputies Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez. Trump significantly improved his vote among Latinos in these areas in 2020 compared to 2016.
“Democrats who are advancing need to accept the reality of American public opinion and politics – that border security is a huge issue that cannot be overlooked in any attempt to reform the immigration system,” wrote Democratic analyst Ruy Teixeira in a recent article.
Democrats cannot “just be the opposite of Trump on this issue. It was closed; we are open! He was mean; we are cool! ”Teixeira wrote. “Voters want an immigration system that is reasonably generous and humane and under control.”
Republicans wasted no time in the attack. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey called Harris “the worst possible choice”.
“At no point in her career has she given any indication that she considers the border a serious problem or threat,” he said at an event in his state.
The Biden administration tried to deal with the political problem in part by blaming the Trump administration for leaving behind a “broken immigration system” and emphasizing the economic, security and humanitarian problems in Central America that are driving people to leave.
While blaming Trump could buy the government some time, Democrats who called for a more immediate border security strategy say dealing with the roots of migration will take more time than voters are willing to give. They urged the government to emphasize action against the smuggling cartels that transport many migrants to the border.
Nathan Barankin, who served as Harris’ chief of staff when she was California’s attorney general, said she negotiated drug smuggling and human trafficking deals with Mexican officials while also playing “hardball with Obama’s DHS and ICE operations. to retreat in their starts and unfair immigration practices. ”
“Obviously, Central American countries are more thorny than Mexico, and people of good will and talent have long been trying to solve the ‘root cause’ of immigration problems there,” he added. “But I wouldn’t bet Harris on that.”