Vice President Harris is in a precarious position when it comes to helping solve the migrant crisis on the border, especially as someone with presidential ambitions.
The issue could pose major challenges for a future bid for the White House, especially if things go badly, opening Harris to attacks from the right and to possible investigation by those on the left who are unhappy with the way the Biden administration works. interacts with immigrant children.
“Adopting immigration as a niche issue is filled with both opportunities and risks for the Vice President,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “This is especially true for someone with her public profile, which is relatively new in much of the country.”
Payne added that it’s particularly tricky for Democrats, if history is any indication. They point to former President Obama’s difficulty with this issue within his own party.
“Immigration is a much more difficult issue within the Democratic Party than conventional wisdom suggests,” he said. “There is a lot of scar tissue from Obama-era immigration policies that many activists are still very excited about.”
Harris’s allies also fear the worst when it comes to the outcome.
“It’s not the best assignment,” said an ally who worked with Harris. “It’s a big job, but it won’t be easy.”
When the White House came under increasing pressure from an increase in migrant children being housed at border facilities, Biden announced late last month that he would order Harris to lead engagements with Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries to to stop the flow of migrants to the southern US border.
In making the announcement, Biden noted that he fulfilled a similar role during his time as vice president under Obama. He also described Harris as the most suitable for the job, citing both her past work as California Attorney General as a human rights advocate.
“I’ve given you a tough job and you’re smiling, but there’s no one better able to handle this for us,” Biden told Harris.
In the first two months of the administration, Democrats wondered why Harris had not been given a specific policy role in the White House, especially as others held other possible positions, such as overseeing the coronavirus aid package.
“A lot of people have wondered what her portfolio will look like,” said a Democratic donor who was surprised by Harris’s lack of a role.
When it comes to the situation on the border, the White House has carefully specified that Harris is not necessarily in charge, but is instead leading the diplomatic piece in its efforts to work with the other countries on the root causes of migration. to deal with.
“The vice president doesn’t cross the line,” Harris said Symone Sanders
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
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A Democratic strategist suspected that the White House was trying to divert attention from the situation at the border and focus on the international aspect of the challenge.
“They don’t know exactly what they can do to resolve the situation at the border, but seeing this more as a foreign policy issue makes it less tangible to the voter as voters don’t always pay attention to issues related to foreign policy, ”the strategist said.
The Washington Post reported preliminary data Friday showing that more than 171,000 migrants had been taken into U.S. custody along the border during March – the highest level in a month in more than a decade.
Psaki said Friday that the message from the Biden government continues to be that now is not the time to come.
“We are not naive about the challenge, but what our focus is are solutions and actions to address the unaccompanied minors crossing the border and make it less attractive to come,” she said.
The role gives Harris the opportunity to show that she is in charge of an urgent and difficult issue, regardless of political risk. Some advocates also hope that Harris will continue the positions she held as a senator, including by advocating for fair trial rights for migrants detained upon entry into the US.
“I feel cautiously optimistic,” said Clara Long, who works on immigration and border policy at Human Rights Watch. “She was a strong voice for a fair trial, access to lawyers, the idea that a protection system should exist and I hope she takes the same perspective in her engagement with other countries.”
Harris had her first meeting with Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday. However, she has no immediate plans to travel to the border and Biden has suggested he could one day do so, but the White House has not provided a specific timeline.
While Biden maintains high approval ratings for his handling of the economy and the coronavirus pandemic, his approach to immigration is a weak spot. A recent NPR / Marist poll found that 53 percent of American adults disapprove of Biden’s approach to immigration, while only 34 percent agree.
Republicans have hammered the administration and accused the new president of encouraging the influx of migrants as the White House has tried to shift blame back to the Trump administration. Biden turned back much of the former president’s immigration policy, including by allowing unaccompanied children at the border.
“It’s more than a crisis. This is human heartbreak, ”House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
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Doug Heye, former communications director for the Republican National Committee, described the border situation as a “hot potato” not only for Harris but also for the Biden administration.
“As we’ve seen with the Trump administration in the past, voters are reacting very negatively to that, as those images come of people crossing the border, of families getting separated. Trump has fueled some of that by constantly having divisive rhetoric about immigration, but because Biden’s rhetoric is nicer, those images don’t change, ”said Heye.
Still, he suspected Harris wouldn’t be the only target of Republicans unless it becomes clearer that Biden is unlikely to seek a second term in office, which he recently said he wanted to do.
“Otherwise it would be a bit like attacks Mike Pence
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But Harris, who is 56, is expected to have longer-term political ambitions, even as Biden seeks a second term in the White House.
“If she ever decides to run for president again, the way she deals with this may be a problem she will have to grapple with in her own campaign,” said the Democratic strategist. “I’m sure she manages it from day to day in view of her political future.”