Two dozen House Republicans are calling on President Joe Biden to replace Vice President Kamala Harris as the official charged with helping to stop the flow of northern migration.
In a letter on Thursday, the lawmakers wrote, “We write to express our serious concerns regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ appointment as your administration’s leader to solve the border crisis.”
They noted that there was a 675% increase in border encounters in May compared to May 2020. They added, “This figure does not even include ‘got aways,’ or those who sneak in without detection, with CBP officials estimate to be around 1,000 per day, compared to an average of just under 200 ‘got aways’ per day in fiscal year 2020.”
They went on to note that Harris was “tasked with solving this crisis on March 24, 2021” and claimed that she “has not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand.”‘
“In the 85 days since the Vice President has been tasked with solving this crisis, she has yet to visit the border and meet with Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, and local law enforcement officials,” the letter added.
Additionally, the lawmakers claimed Harris and administration spokespeople have “made excuses about her role in solving the crisis,” by “claiming that her responsibility is to examine the ‘root causes’ of migration.”
They continued:
“Harris wrongly presumes that ‘root causes’ of migration can only stem from a migrant’s country of origin. Even if we assume that ‘root causes’ only stem from a migrant’s country of origin, the exclusive focus on Central American countries ignores the fact that we see many migrants attempting to illegally cross our southern border from countries all over the world.”
Read the statement below:
I am proud to Co-Sign this letter demanding President Biden to replace the @VP with someone who will be competent and exhibit leadership on our border.
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) June 17, 2021
The safety & security of our nation is at stake. pic.twitter.com/LRMgGQ7TzC
The group of lawmakers also said that “this presumption ignores the role of policy decisions made in the first four months of your administration play in enticing migrants to illegally cross our southern border.”
“Perhaps if the Vice President took a moment to speak with our Border Patrol agents who are on the frontlines of this crisis, or even the thousands of migrants currently held in our border facilities, she and your administration would be able to grasp this reality,” they added.
Finally, the lawmakers said, “This country cannot afford another minute of inaction from Vice President Harris. While you have publicly defended the Vice President, even you must be discouraged with her inaction. We have all made mistakes in hiring and understand when someone else needs to be assigned to a task. We sincerely urge you to find someone else in your administration to assist you in getting a handle on this border crisis.”
While the Republicans have focused on what they say is Harris’ role in managing the border crisis, CNN reports, “Harris and her aides have emphasized internally that they want to focus on conditions in Central America that push migrants to the US southern border, as President Joe Biden tasked her to do.”
