Biden announced Harris’s new assignment on March 24 ahead of an immigration meeting in the White House’s State Dining Room, telling reporters he asked the vice president “because she’s the one with enough money.” the most capable to do that, to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle, and the countries that can help, need help in stopping the movement of so many people, stopping the movement migrate to our southern border.”
Following the announcement, Harris’ aides appeared to be “panic,” according to one of the officials, out of concern that her assignment was being misinterpreted and could be politically damaging if she had contact with the border, which at that time was facing an increase in the number of arrivals. But another White House official dismissed this view, saying the vice president’s team was not panicking.
One of the officials said Harris appeared eager for a portfolio that would allow her to achieve political victories, particularly in foreign policy, an area in which she has less experience than Biden. Instead, Republican critics and the media have portrayed her new immigration role as a border assignment, potentially opening her up to criticism over her seemingly handling of the issue. as intractable.
Harris’ performance is critical to her future political career, which could include running for president. It is also of special interest right now as she prepares to depart for a trip to Guatemala and Mexico next week as part of this project. This will be her first time officially participating in live, domestic talks about the troubles driving Central American migrants to the US.
Harris and her staff have made it clear that they want to narrowly focus their diplomatic efforts in Mexico and Northern Triangle countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where they believe they are more likely achieve tangible results in addressing the root causes of migration. , like economic despair, officials said.
Former and current officials, along with immigration experts, emphasize that the causes of migration and the increase in the border are closely linked and suggest that while addressing the reasons for this, make people decide to immigrate to the US is very important, it cannot be separated from what. occurred at the US-Mexico border.
“You can’t divorce the border with Mexico or Central America or the interior of the United States,” said John Sandweg, a former senior Department of Homeland Security official who served in the Obama administration. “It’s all a system.”
“Everything you are doing in Central America is always about the border and what is happening in the United States,” said Cris Ramon, an immigration consultant. “Given current dynamics in migration, what is happening at the US-Mexico border has an impact on the Northern Triangle and vice versa.”
A White House official told CNN that administration officials regularly brief Harris on the border.
The pandemic has taken a significant toll on Latin America, where the number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 has skyrocketed and economies that were once predicted to flourish have faltered. The area was also hit by two devastating storms last year.
The Biden administration soon assigned roles to address migration, including Roberta S. Jacobson, who was appointed special assistant to the President and key official dealing with migrants at the border. U.S.-Mexico border until resigning in April. The administration also appointed a special envoy for the Northern Triangle, a position held by Ricardo Zúñiga, who frequents the area.
Tense politics are why, shortly after the President announced Harris’s new role, Harris aides seemed dismayed to see some Republicans and the media trying to describe described her as the new border tsar, one of the White House officials familiar with the matter said. . Another White House official said Harris was focused on the mission and dismissed the notion that her team was worried about how her role was perceived.
But after Biden’s announcement, both the president and vice president repeatedly made it clear that Harris would focus solely on diplomatic efforts to stem the current influx of migrants and develop a major strategic partnership. than Central America.
Harris’s meetings also tell where she’s focused. Immigration advocates and regional experts joined the roundtable with the vice president describing Harris asking detailed questions about a variety of issues, such as agricultural science and irrigation strategies to address the situation. food insecurity and infrastructure needs.
Another source familiar with ongoing discussions on regional strategy said the vice president’s office has attracted research on issues ranging from governance to economic development to climate change, from research and work facilities in the region.
“She’s asking for a lot of information. … She’s reaching out to many groups to get the best out of her and to really understand who’s who and how they can be – the authorities – the source. added that prior to a recent meeting with Guatemalan judicial leaders, the vice president’s team had asked for input on issues to raise with them.
“She’s going to have to approve this. We’ll summarize it for her, she’ll make the changes, and then when she’s ready to go, that’s what we’re going to do.” this office said.
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