Dozens of House Republicans are demanding President Biden remove Vice President Harris from her leading role handling the US migrant crisis, citing her “inaction” on the issue.
“Despite being in the midst of a border crisis this country has not seen in two decades, Vice President Harris has not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand,” wrote Wisconsin Republican Glenn Grothman in a letter President Biden signed by 56 House lawmakers.
“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 continued.
Torrents of illegal migrants flooding the US-Mexico border have created one of the earliest and most pressing challenges of Biden’s presidency and Harris has been tapped with solving the problem.
She recently traveled to Mexico and Guatemala where she took heat from progressives for bluntly telling would-be migrants there not to come to the United States. The White House has tried to pivot and has stressed that Harris’ role is primarily diplomatic.
A major sticking point has been Harris’ refusal (so far) to visit the US border herself. When pressed on the issue she has punted. Former President Trump — who made immigration a central talking point of his administration — said he will visit the border later this month with his close ally Texas, Gov. Greg Abbot.