Pres. Joe Biden Assigns VP Kamala Harris to Lead White House in Addressing Migrant Children Issues
President Joe Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the White House in addressing the influx of migrant children on the U.S. border. The Biden administration has received criticism regarding the surge of migrants in the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks.
Harris is expected to establish and work with Mexico and the northern triangle countries composed of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, according to a USA Today report. It can be remembered that Harris received backlash from people online after laughing at a question. However, she answered the question and noted that she "would probably go back," noting that she has visited the area once.
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VP Kamala Harris in leading border issues
The increasing numbers of unaccompanied migrant children are being detained in jail-like border stations. The children are placed in the facility for days while they are waiting for their placement in overwhelmed government-run shelters. This issue alarms immigration advocates, according to an Al Jazeera report. The jail-like facilities are run by Customs and Border Protection.
The Biden administration is struggling to transfer the migrant children out of the jail-like camps to the facilities which are monitored by the Health and Human Services. The law enforces that the children should be moved out of the Customs and Border Protection within 72 hours.
"It's a huge problem, I'm not going to pretend it's not," said Vice President Kamala Harris as she acknowledges the situation regarding the migrant children on the border. Harris added that they are looking at the problem, specifically the children on the border, furthering that the processing of the cases should be even faster. "This is, however, not going to be solved overnight," she said.
The role Harris will embody the first important item in her portfolio as the Vice President. Her involvement in the issue can also eradicate the issue within the White House and broader administration, according to an ABC News report.
Biden noted that he "can think of nobody who is better qualified" to take on the role Harris will play. "She knows what she's doing, and I hope we can move this along," said Biden adding that the Vice President speaks for him when she speaks with the public.
Migrant Children in the borders
As of Tuesday, the Health and Human Services (HHS) has 11,350 unaccompanied migrant children under their custody. Meanwhile, approximately 1,000 - 1,500 people are in a makeshift camp while waiting for permission to enter the U.S. borders. The makeshift camp is located outside the EL Chapparal border crossing.
Republicans and Democrats also criticized the Biden administration on their response to the border situation. "It is a crisis that was created by the Biden administration," said Senator Ted Cruz reiterating that the problem in the border is rooted in the policy the Biden administration has enforced.
"There no question that this is a challenging situation," said Kamala Harris about the migrant children surge in the borders. "I also look forward to working with members of Congress who I think share our perspective on the need to access the root causes for the migration," said Harris.
RELATED ARTICLE: Pelosi Says Surge of Migrant Children At U.S.-Mexico Border Is a 'Humanitarian Crisis'
WATCH: President Biden announces VP Harris will lead response at southern border - from WPRI
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