The House Oversight and Accountability Committee, led by Republicans, has initiated an investigation into Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in handling the border crisis.
This move, announced on Tuesday, seeks to assess Harris’s effectiveness as the “border czar” for the Biden administration.
James Comer, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller.
The letter demands documents and internal communications regarding Harris’s involvement in the ongoing border crisis, which Comer describes as the “worst border crisis in American history.”
“The mass illegal migration under the Biden-Harris Administration has contributed to murders, sexual assaults, and serious bodily injuries committed against numerous Americans at the hands of illegal aliens. The Committee seeks to understand whether Vice President Harris has ‘done anything’ to address the worst border crisis in American history,” Comer wrote.
Vice President Harris has faced criticism from Republicans for not effectively managing the border crisis.
While the Biden administration argued that Harris’s role was to tackle the root causes of migration, such as climate change, poverty, and violence, Republicans argue that this approach has failed. They point out that millions of asylum seekers have illegally entered the country under the Biden administration, posing a national security threat due to insufficient vetting.
Comer’s letter also notes Harris’s past stance on immigration enforcement. In 2018, Harris called for the reworking of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and criticized the Trump administration’s border policies, comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan.
“Vice President Harris’s root causes approach to solving the border crisis has been an abject failure as encounters at the southwest border remain high. It is unclear what actions, if any, Vice President Harris has taken to fix the border crisis. Rather, she has claimed that ‘[w]e have a secure border in that that is a priority for any nation, including our administration,” Comer wrote in the letter.
The border crisis remains a significant issue for voters, especially for Republican candidates. Harris’s handling of the border situation is seen as a critical weakness, particularly as she is the Democratic nominee for president in the upcoming election.
The House Oversight Committee’s probe follows a resolution passed last month by the House, introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). The resolution condemned Harris’s “failure” as the border czar, receiving support from all Republicans and six Democrats.
This investigation is part of broader efforts by GOP lawmakers to address illegal immigration. Just a day before the probe was announced, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) released a report criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of migrants on the terror watch list.
In March 2021, President Biden assigned Harris a range of duties, prompting media outlets to refer to her as the “border czar.” However, as Harris’s chances in the 2024 presidential race seem affected by this title, some media outlets have recently downplayed her role as such.
The House Oversight Committee’s investigation will focus on obtaining all relevant documents and communications between the CBP and the Executive Office of the Vice President related to the southwest border and illegal immigration.
This probe aims to provide clarity on Harris’s actions and effectiveness in addressing the border crisis.