EXCLUSIVE: Republicans in three House committees on Monday called a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris over what they called a “catastrophe” on the southern border – amid accusations that Biden’s government policy is the historic increase in migrants.
In a letter to Harris, representatives Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, John Katko, R-NY, and James Comer, R-Ky – the members of the respective committees for the administration of justice, homeland security and surveillance – requested a meeting ” to discuss the response of the Biden-Harris government to the disaster on the southern border. “
KAMALA HARRIS IS 26 DAYS AWAY WITHOUT A NEWS CONFERENCE REGARDED FOR BORDERS CRISIS ROLE
“More than two weeks ago, President Joe Biden delegated to you the response of the government to the humanitarian and security crisis on the southern border. However, it is unclear what, or any action you have taken or intend to respond to. crisis that continues to worsen every day, ”reads the letter received by Fox News.
Border officials encountered more than 172,000 migrants in March alone, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S. is on track to encounter more migrants than in 20 years.
The government downplayed the crisis, and Biden argued that there are annual seasonal increases, while the Trump administration is blamed for breaking down the legal paths to asylum that the government now says it needs to repair.
But critics have pointed to the return of key Trump-era policies such as the migration protection protocols – which migrants in Mexico kept during their trials – as well as the construction of the border wall, the release of families in the US and the weakening of priorities for domestic enforcement. .
The pressure continued as images of full migrants in overcrowded facilities and children dumped at the border emerged, leading to criticism from both Republicans and some Democrats.
EX-TRUMP DHS OFFICERS SS HARRIS MUST VISIT BORDER, ACCUSING HER OF DODGING ‘POLITICAL HOT POTATO’
Lawmakers said Monday that despite Majorca’s recognition of near-unprecedented numbers, “it appears the Biden-Harris government is refusing to act sensibly to stop the influx of illegal aliens to the border, and instead thousands released inland. “
Harris was named as Biden’s choice to deal with what the White House described as ‘root causes’ of the crisis, but was criticized for not visiting the border. At a press conference of the GOP of the House on Wednesday, Republicans showed a milk carton with Harris’s photo on it with the slogan ‘Missing at the border’.
The White House opposed the criticism by saying that she would be involved in high-level diplomatic work and not on the border. Harris made it herself last week when she announced that she would be visiting Guatemala and Mexico in the coming weeks.
‘The president asked the secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas to address what is going on at the border, and he has worked very hard on it and is showing some progress because of his hard work, ‘she said at a round table in the Northern Triangle.
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“I was asked to lead the cause of causes in the Northern Triangle, similar to what the then vice president did many years ago,” she said. “But I’ll tell you these are issues that are not going to be addressed overnight.”
The DHS officials of the Trump era pushed back, saying the border crisis and diplomatic talks were related.
“You can not talk to Northern Triangle countries or Mexican officials without understanding the pressure and the situation and atmosphere at the border,” former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf said at a Heritage Foundation press conference last week. said. “The two are so connected, you can not do one without the other.”
Reps. Jordan, Katko and Comer say in the letter to Harris that during a recent visit to the border officials and others with whom committee members spoke, they said that they did not hear from you, or that they did not receive any guidance or plan from you. have to help their situation. “
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The legislators are requesting a meeting by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Fox News on Monday confirmed that the government has instructed that immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) and customs and border protection (CBP) avoid the terms “illegal alien”, “alien” and “assimilation”. Instead, they are asked to use the terms “non-citizen or migrant”, “undocumented” and “integration”.