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, âWe write to express our serious concerns regarding Vice President Kamala Harrisâ appointment as your administrationâs leader to solve the border crisis.â
They noted that there was a 675% increase in border encounters in May compared to May 2020. They added, âThis figure does not even include âgot aways,â 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 âgot awaysâ per day in fiscal year 2020.â
They went on to note that Harris was âtasked with solving this crisis on March 24, 2021â and claimed that she âhas not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand.ââ
âIn 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,â the letter added.
Additionally, the lawmakers claimed Harris and administration spokespeople have âmade excuses about her role in solving the crisis,â by âclaiming that her responsibility is to examine the âroot causesâ of migration.â
They continued:
âHarris wrongly presumes that âroot causesâ of migration can only stem from a migrantâs country of origin. Even if we assume that âroot causesâ only stem from a migrantâs 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.â
Read the statement below:
The group of lawmakers also said that âthis 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.â
âPerhaps 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,â they added.
Finally, the lawmakers said, âThis 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.â
While the Republicans have focused on what they say is Harrisâ role in managing the border crisis, CNN reports, âHarris 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.â
