Harris faces ‘trapdoors’ as she takes on border crisis
WASHINGTON — The humanitarian crisis at the United States’ southern border has vexed politicians in both parties for years. Now it’s Vice President Kamala Harris’ problem.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced last week that Ms. Harris would lead its efforts to address the surge of migrants at the southern border, the highest-profile assignment yet for a vice president who had been in search of a portfolio of issues to call her own.
For the former California senator and attorney general, it may be one of the most complicated and urgent issues of her political career. Democrats say tackling immigration carries as much risk as it does reward, giving her a chance to demonstrate leadership but also potentially exposing her on a volatile issue capable of tarnishing her reputation with liberal and moderate voters alike.
“For a vice president that is trying to burnish her credentials for not just the next four years but probably the next 15 or 20 years, this is a prime moment for her to do that,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne.
But he added, “Immigration is a tough issue to find consensus on. It is an issue that, politically, there are a lot of trapdoors. And there is certainly an element of risk involved in the vice president taking this on.”
Ms. Harris’ political future is of keen interest to many Democrats, some of whom already regard the 56-year-old as the party’s heir apparent. On Thursday, Mr. Biden said it is his “expectation” that he will seek re-election in 2024 and that Ms. Harris would remain his political partner.
Mr. Biden’s statement will
do little to quiet speculation about Ms. Harris’ political future or interest from across the political spectrum in how she handles her new role. Ms. Harris has limited diplomatic experience, having never served on the Foreign Relations or Armed Services committees when she was in the Senate, though she was a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“When you’re the vice president and the president comes to you with an incredibly important task, there’s only one answer,” said Brian Brokaw, a former longtime political adviser to Ms. Harris. “And I think that’s a testament to her commitment to serving the president and also tackling very tough
issues, even when they’re incredibly challenging.”
Stemming the tide of migrants at the border — many of whom are now families or unaccompanied minors — is one of the greatest challenges facing the Biden White House. It has hindered administrations of both parties for decades, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
The challenge has become especially acute this year, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas predicting earlier this month that the number of migrants encountered by border officials will soon reach a 20-year high.
Biden administration officials have resisted labeling the situation a “crisis,” but
officials have been forced to rapidly expand the number and size of detention facilities to house unaccompanied minors applying for asylum.
Senior administration officials told reporters earlier this month that Ms. Harris would work directly with leaders in Mexico and the countries that make up the Northern Triangle — Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — to help improve conditions that administration officials said prompt most of the migrants to leave their home border.
Former Harris aides argued it’s an issue she is wellpositioned to tackle given her background.
“She’s a natural executive and better situated to be the one in charge, gather the
facts and then give marching orders than she is to either stand in the background, which is kind of her job now, or before that sit in a hearing and listen to a bunch of think tank experts talk about potential solutions,” said a former Harris aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
As California attorney general, Ms. Harris collaborated with her Mexican counterparts on efforts to combat drug smuggling and human trafficking, an experience that former aides say prepared her to oversee efforts to address the current surge.
“She won’t be satisfied with incremental improvements,” said Nathan Barankin, a former chief of staff to Ms. Harris in the Senate. “She will drive hard for real and sustained types of improvements that will put us on a path towards solving the problem.
Ms. Harris’ background could also help her win over vocal immigration activists who closely monitor the administration’s policy. Some of them welcomed Ms. Harris’ assignment, saying she has credibility and a history of advocacyon the issue.
But they also emphasized that she needed to fulfill Mr. Biden’s promises to chart a much different immigration policy than Mr. Trump.
“The American public and voters elected her and President Biden to the White House to show us a new direction on immigration, one that welcomed immigrants and treated them with respect,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, the executive director at United We Dream, a proimmigration advocacy group. “What we’re seeing is an opportunity to do that.”
Mr. Biden was criticized during the presidential campaign for a surge in deportations that occurred while he was Mr. Obama’s vice president. Mr. Biden pushed back, noting he was only vice president and didn’t set the administration’s policy.
Some Democratic officials privately expressed concern that Ms. Harris could likewise bear the brunt of potentially unfavorable outcomes, even if she wasn’t in control of the policy that led to them.
“This is not a matter of personnel; this is a matter of policy,” said one Democrat close to the administration, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “The vice president has been put in a position where the likelihood of success is next to minimal.”
Other Democrats said Mr. Biden wouldn’t have given Ms. Harris the assignment if he thought it would harm her.
“I don’t think they’re gonna leave her out on an island,” Mr. Payne said.