Harris not talking to Border Patrol chief during migrant crisis and focusing on root causes

As the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to speak with the current head of Border Patrol amidst an ongoing crisis at the southern border and her role in addressing the “root causes” of the issue.

Former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz revealed earlier this year that he had not received any communication from either President Biden or Vice President Harris during his time leading the agency. “I’ve never had one conversation with the president or the vice president for that matter. I was chief of the Border Patrol. I commanded 21,000 people. That’s a problem,” Ortiz stated during an interview on “60 Minutes.” This lack of communication was first reported by NewsNation, and both Customs and Border Protection and the White House have remained silent on the matter.

In 2021, President Biden tasked Harris with spearheading diplomatic efforts to address the “root causes” of migration in the Northern Triangle countries. This assignment led to her being dubbed the “border czar” by Republicans, a label that has been rejected by the White House.

Harris faced significant political challenges in this role, especially given the surge in encounters at the border that resulted in record-breaking numbers over multiple fiscal years. Despite these challenges, Harris visited Mexico and Guatemala in 2021 and emphasized to migrants, “do not come.” She also made a visit to the border in El Paso, Texas. An initiative to attract private-sector investments in the region through a call to action has garnered over $5.2 billion from more than 50 companies and organizations since May 2021.

While the impact of these investments remains uncertain, the number of encounters from the Northern Triangle countries has decreased from over 700,000 in FY 21 to over 330,000 as of May, with four months remaining in the fiscal year. However, these countries, along with Mexico, continue to be the top sources of migrants arriving at the border.

As Harris prepares to take on more scrutiny regarding her immigration record following President Biden’s endorsement of her presidential bid, polls indicate that addressing the crisis at the border remains a top priority for voters. Republicans have criticized the administration for rolling back Trump-era policies, which they believe contributed to the crisis.

In response to the situation, the Biden administration has called for funding and reforms from Congress and introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill on day one, which was rejected by Republicans due to its inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Subsequently, the administration has endorsed a bipartisan Senate package introduced earlier this year, with Harris supporting the proposal in a statement. “This agreement on border security and immigration does not include everything we have fought for over the past three years — and we will continue to fight for these priorities — but it shows we can make the border more secure while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our values as a nation,” she remarked.