Biden defends Kamala Harris’ inaction in border crisis and claims she ‘speaks truth’ as Schumer insists VP is ‘capable’
JOE Biden has defended Kamala Harris’ inaction during the border crisis, praising her for “never failing to speak the truth”. His applause comes as Chuck Schumer said the Vice President was “very capable of coming up with solutions” despite her failure to visit the US-Mexico border. Biden bizarrely tweeted on Monday: “When I served as […]
JOE Biden has defended Kamala Harris’ inaction during the border crisis, praising her for “never failing to speak the truth”.
His applause comes as Chuck Schumer said the Vice President was “very capable of coming up with solutions” despite her failure to visit the US-Mexico border.
Biden bizarrely tweeted on Monday: “When I served as Vice President, I asked to be the last person with the President before big decisions were made – and [the Vice President] is providing the same counsel to me.
“She’s the last voice in the room and never fails to speak the truth as we work to build our nation back better.”
He was referring to a comment he made while working for former President Barack Obama, where the latter asked, “well what do you want?”
And Biden replied to him: “I want to be completely honest with you, and argue with you if we disagree privately, and secondly I want to be the last person in the room on every major decision… and I didn’t mean it figuratively, I meant literally.”
The tweet follows Biden three weeks ago naming Harris as his “point person” to address the ongoing catastrophe at the border.
But Harris continues to come under fire for failing to visit the US-Mexico boundary or even hold a press conference about her new duties since being tasked with tackling the migrant crisis.
American authorities caught more than 171,000 migrants at the US border with Mexico in March.
That is the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting Biden.
The total includes about 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children and 53,000 family members traveling together, recent figures show. Single adults made up roughly 99,000 of the total.
The Biden administration is struggling to house newly arrived unaccompanied kids, who have been stuck in crowded border facilities for days.
BBC News reported in March that at least 5,000 children were kept for over 72 hours, the legal limit after which they are meant to be transferred to the custody of health officials in the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
And NBC News says the White House “has been forced to clarify multiple times that the vice president is focused on the root causes of migration, not the challenges at the southern border”.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has tried to water down criticism of the VP, while aides have said that Harris is concentrating on behind-the-scenes work, reading about the migrant crisis and meeting experts.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was asked by a reporter: “Does it concern you that we haven’t really heard from [Kamala Harris on the border]?”
He replied: “No, but she’s a very capable person, a thoughtful person and somebody who I think is very capable of coming up with solutions.”
Harris is supposedly “frustrated about living in suitcases” while the vice president’s mansion undergoes renovations and the border crisis intensifies.
The vice president is apparently finding the on-the-go lifestyle difficult two months after being sworn into office as she waits on her official residence to be refurbished.
Several sources told CNN that Harris was not happy with the ongoing situation as she and husband Georgetown Law professor Douglas Emhoff wait to move into their new home at the Naval Observatory.
“She is getting frustrated,” said one official as the couple continue to live in the President’s official guest quarters Blair House, which is located just across Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC.
The publication noted that the renovations included foundational and a $3.8 million contract for “plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors” – but it doesn’t explain why Harris and Emhoff can’t move.
White House border coordinator Roberta Jacobson is stepping down from her role by the end of April, the White House said on Friday – as the Biden administration struggles with the historic migrant crisis.
Jacobson served as Biden’s Coordinator for the Southwest Border at the National Security Council.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a White House statement that Jacobson’s resignation is “consistent with her commitment at the outset to serve in the administration’s first 100 days.”
The statement didn’t mention who will replace Jacobson but Harris is set to lead US diplomatic efforts in Central America with Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote a scathing op-ed for Fox last Tuesday in which she slammed Harris for “refusing to go see the crisis that their reckless, backward policies have created.”
McDaniel blasted Harris for returning to California over the Easter weekend but not holding any appearances at the border – or any public appearances at all.
“She is working harder on avoiding accountability for the crisis than she is on trying to fix it,” McDaniel wrote.
“Taking a California vacation on the taxpayer’s dime when there’s a humanitarian crisis raging mere miles to the south is cynical, weak and fundamentally uncaring. ”
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The Biden administration today announced that it has struck an agreement with three Central American nations to temporarily boost security forces to their borders to reduce the tide of immigration to the Mexican border.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Mexico will maintain a deployment of about 10,000 troops, while Guatemala has surged 1,500 police and military personnel to its southern border.
Honduras has deployed 7,000 police and military to its border “to disperse a large contingent of migrants” there. Guatemala will also set up 12 checkpoints along the migratory route through the country.