In Mexico, Harris defends against criticism over border

MEXICO CITY — Vice President Kamala Harris brushed off questions about her decision not to go to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of her work to address the spike in migration, declaring Tuesday that while it was “legitimate” to be concerned about the situation at the border, it wouldn’t be addressed with a simple visit.

As she closed out a two-day visit to Guatemala and Mexico aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties to help deal with migration to the U.S., Harris declared: “When I’m in Guatemala dealing with root causes, I think we should have a conversation about what’s going on in Guatemala.”

Speaking to reporters traveling with her in Mexico, Harris was asked about the prospect that her decision not to visit the border may be overshadowing her focus on the very issues prompting migrants to flee their homes for the U.S.

“You can’t say you care about the border without caring about the root causes, without caring about the acute causes” of migration, she said.

She added: “It would be very easy to say, we’ll travel to one place and therefore it’s solved. I don’t think anybody thinks that that would be the solution.”

Pressed on why she wouldn’t simply visit, if her goal is to address migration as a whole, Harris noted that she had visited previously, as a senator from California, and may again.

Harris’ decision not to go to the border as part of her mission on migration threatened to overshadow her diplomacy as she closed out a two-day trip to Guatemala and Mexico focused on stemming the flow of people into the U.S. Her work thus far has focused on strengthening diplomatic relations, and she met with both Guatemala’s and Mexico’s presidents on her trip to discuss economic investments and increased enforcement against trafficking, smuggling and corruption.

The increase in migration at the border has become one of the major challenges confronting Biden in the early months of his first term, with Republicans seizing on an issue they see as politically advantageous. Polls suggest Americans are less favorable toward Biden’s approach to immigration than they are toward his policies on the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2RBeY4t