House Republicans vote to rebuke Kamala Harris over administration’s handling of border policy
WASHINGTON — House Republicans have been quick to highlight Vice President Kamala Harris’ role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday condemning her performance in the role.
The resolution, which is purely symbolic, is an echo of a attack line that Republican Donald Trump against Harris since she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Every Republican in the House of Representatives and six Democrats in tough reelection races voted in favor of the resolution.
President Joe Biden Harris was tasked early in his administration with addressing the root causes of migration. Border crossings eventually became a major political burden for Biden when they reached historic levels. Since June, when Biden announced significant restrictions In asylum applications at the border, the number of arrests for illegal border crossings has fallen.
It remains to be seen whether the border will become a political burden for Harris, as it has for Biden. But Republicans say Harris has not done enough to curb illegal immigration in a role they describe as “border czar.”
“The result of her inaction has been record numbers of illegal border crossings, overburdened communities, and an erosion of the rule of law,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana.
If elected president, Trump has pledged to deport millions of people and has made anti-immigration rhetoric a central focus of his campaign.
The vote in the House of Representatives already showed that the confidence that Democrats had in Harris until now was waning.
The six Democrats who voted for the resolution were mostly members of battleground districts and had previously been critical of Biden. The measure called for “elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and who will implement policies to resolve the border crisis.”
As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to address issues fueling migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and pressuring them to strengthen enforcement at their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and implement a long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of migration from those countries.
Most House Democrats tried to defend how Harris handled his job.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the resolution was “bogus and fraudulent” and that Harris was never appointed “border czar,” as stated in the measure.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Harris had “a close role in developing agreements that could help bring government and private sector investment to those countries that send migrants to the United States.”
Jayapal said Harris has successfully recruited “billions” of dollars in investment for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Democrats also repeatedly pointed out that Republicans rejected a border and immigration deal the White House negotiated with Senate Republican leaders earlier this year.