Kamala Harris, While Visiting U.S.-Mexico Border, Blames Donald Trump, Touts 'Extreme Progress' Despite Record Migrant Surge Under Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks before the start of a virtual listening session in the South Court Auditorium at the White House complex on June 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. Following the Senate blocking the “For the People Act,” the listening session was held on voting rights. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border Friday for the first time since taking office and has blamed the administration of former President Donald Trump for the migrant crisis taking place there.

While answering questions from the media after arriving in El Paso, Texas, Kamala Harris cited various border policies implemented by the Trump administration. She noted that these policies had "disastrous effects," Fox News reported.

"It is here in El Paso that the previous administration's child separation policy was unveiled... That the return to Mexico policy from the previous administration was implemented. And so we have seen the disaster that resulted from that," the vice president said just an hour before urging an end to "rhetoric and finger-pointing" over the issue.

Kamala Harris then lauded the administration of President Joe Biden for the work she claimed alleviated the migrant crisis.

She announced that there has been "extreme progress" on the current border crisis despite the increase in illegal crossings. Joe Biden has appointed Harris to address the root causes of illegal crossings at the border.

Kamala Harris noted that they have made progress in five months, particularly on reuniting families, adding that there's still so much work to be done.

But New York Post reported that statistics indicate otherwise. In May, border authorities had recorded more than 180,000 apprehensions in the said month alone, while almost 179,000 people were detained in April.

Kamala Harris had also lashed out at a reporter after intense criticism of the administration's handling of migration influx. The vice president was asked why she chose now to visit the border upon arrival at the El Paso airport.

She said it was not her first trip and she has come to the border many times, adding that she mentioned in March that she was going to the border so it is not a new plan, Daily Mail reported.

Kamala Harris had announced her trip on Wednesday, June 23, days before a scheduled visit to the U.S.-Mexico border by Donald Trump. However, the vice president's office denied that it was a consideration in their scheduling.

As they arrived on the tarmac, Texas Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar described El Paso as the "new Ellis Island," a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station.

Kamala Harris Visits U.S.-Mexico Border

Kamala Harris first stopped at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility, where she met migrant girls aged nine to 15. They drew pictures for the vice president and described their hopes for the future.

She also spoke to border guards who deal with the record migrant surge since Biden took office. Kamala Harris also met Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent of the El Paso border sector.

After meeting her, she told reporters that they inherited a tough situation wherein people have been housed in inhumane conditions over the past years but already made progress in five months.

The vice president said their approach has to be thoughtful and effective and cannot be reduced to a political issue. NPR reported that the usual root causes of migration are long-standing such as poverty, violence, corruption, natural disasters, and climate change.

Kamala Harris Visits Guatemala and Mexico

Kamala Harris earlier urged would-be migrants in Guatemala not to enter the United States illegally, BBC News reported. She said they would be turned back at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The vice president noted that leaders should "work together" to find solutions to long-standing problems and give people a "sense of hope" that help is on the way.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei defended his government's own record of battling corruption. He noted that the fight against drug trafficking should be a key part of tackling the matter.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris toured the immigration facilities in Mexico during her trip and met with young women. Harris noted that the border trip highlighted the need to address the root causes of the surge from the country, CNBC reported.

She cited the lack of economic opportunity, food insecurity, and fear of cartels as the main causes of the migrant surge.

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