By Staff Reporter |

The Arizona Republic has joined the ranks of other mainstream media outlets in reporting that Vice President Kamala Harris (now presidential candidate) was never tasked with handling the border crisis. 

In a report published on Tuesday, the Arizona Republic denied that Harris ever held a “border czar” title, or that President Joe Biden ever tasked her with handling illegal immigration at the border. 

“Her role included working with Central American countries to address the root causes of immigration, but she was never given a ‘border czar’ label or tasked with handling migrant surges at the border,” stated the outlet. 

In March 2021, Biden appointed Harris to stem illegal migration at the southern border, specifically, during a meeting on immigration announcing the appointment of Secretary Xavier Becerra. While Biden didn’t dub her his “border czar,” he did label her as “the most qualified person” and grant her, essentially, executive decision-making on the matter.

“I’ve asked her … to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries [are] going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border,” said Biden. 

Biden even cited his similar appointment to oversee the border while he was vice president under former President Barack Obama. The president called the spike in illegal immigrants a “consequential” uptick. 

“[T]he Vice President has agreed … to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders,” said Biden. 

In fact, Biden seemingly extended full authority to Harris to act of her own accord on handling the border without his permission.

“So it’s not her full responsibility and job, but she’s leading the effort because I think the best thing to do is to put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don’t have to wonder about is that where the President is,” said Biden. “When she speaks, she speaks for me. Doesn’t have to check with me.  She knows what she’s doing, and I hope we can move this along.”

If any work was done by the vice president to mitigate the border crisis, it didn’t have an impact on reducing the number of illegal immigrant entries. Monthly sightings and encounters only increased from that point onward, and have not returned to levels seen before Biden took office. 

Harris promised during that televised meeting back in March 2021 to “address the root causes” behind illegal immigration into the U.S. Specifically, Harris promised to increase diplomacy efforts with foreign governments, the private sector, civil society leaders, and leaders of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Harris also promised to work with Congress on solving illegal immigration. 

“And needless to say, the work will not be easy, but it is important work,” said Harris. “It is work that we demand — and the people of our countries, I believe, need — to help stem the tide that we have seen.”

Harris flew to Guatemala several months after that meeting, in June, and told would-be illegal immigrants in a viral remark: “Do not come. Do not come.”

It seems few heeded the vice president’s warning. 

There have been nearly 8 million encounters at the southwest border since Biden took office, not counting gotaways. It’s likely that the total will reach 10 million by the time of the next inauguration.

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