NEW ON FOX: Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are probing Vice President Kamala Harris’ involvement in addressing the southern border crisis, insisting that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provide any internal communications from her office related to illegal immigration.
“The surge in illegal migration during the Biden-Harris Administration has led to murders, sexual assaults, and serious injuries inflicted on many Americans by illegal aliens,” stated Chairman James Comer in a letter to acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller, which was first reported by Fox News Digital.
“The Committee seeks documents and communications to clarify Vice President Harris’s role in the most severe border crisis in American history.”
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In 2021, as numbers surged dramatically at the southern border, President Biden informed reporters that he had tasked Harris with addressing root causes like climate change, poverty, and violence, which the administration believed were driving migrants north.
US Vice President Kamala Harris was labeled the “border czar” by Republicans and some media outlets. (Leigh Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“There are several other major issues she is managing, but I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she is the most capable person for the task — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations that will require assistance in managing the flow of migrants towards our southern border,” he remarked.
This quickly resulted in Harris being dubbed the “border czar.” While the White House contested that label, it has persisted in association with her alongside DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the crisis.
Now as the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, Republicans are focusing on her management of the border crisis, characterized by record encounters at the southern border. They attribute these figures directly to the reversal of Trump-era border protections and what they describe as “open border” policies.
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Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The letter to Miller described Harris’ record as “abysmal,” highlighting previous comments about the need for immigration enforcement reforms and her advocacy for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“The Committee wishes to ascertain whether Vice President Harris has taken any real action to tackle the worst border crisis in American history,” the letter states.
The committee is seeking “All documents and communications between U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Executive Office of the Vice President pertaining to the southwest border or illegal immigration.”
CBP and Harris’ office did not promptly respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Biden administration has countered this narrative, highlighting a significant drop in numbers following President Biden’s executive order that imposed constraints on asylum claims in June.
The White House has noted a decrease of over 50% in encounters and a more than 70% increase in removals, alongside the return of over 50,000 individuals to more than 100 countries. In relation to Harris’s efforts concerning root causes, a project aimed at mobilizing private investment in the region has garnered over $5.2 billion since May 2021 from more than 50 companies and organizations. The encounter numbers from those three countries have reduced from over 700,000 in FY 21 to over 330,000 this fiscal year thus far, but the extent of the connection to her efforts remains unclear.
The administration has accused Republicans of obstructing funding and reform efforts on immigration. This dispute has escalated into the campaigns, with the Trump and Harris campaigns engaging in a back-and-forth over the border narrative.
Harris criticized former President Trump at a rally in Atlanta last week, asserting he “has been making grand statements about securing our border, but he does not follow through.”
CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
She contended that the former president “sabotaged the bipartisan agreement because he thought it would assist him in winning an election” and promised that “as president, I will reinstate the border security bill that Donald Trump dismantled.”
Shortly thereafter, Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, criticized Harris during a trip to the border.
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“It’s difficult to comprehend until you witness it firsthand, just how detrimental the policies of the Kamala Harris administration have been regarding the southern border,” Vance stated in Cochise County, Arizona.
