CNN cited sources on “deep background” in a piece dedicated to praising Vice President Kamala Harris’ handling of the border crisis.
Harris’ aides have sought to distance the vice president from the southern border, claiming that she is instead focusing on issues in Central America that are leading migrants to flee to the United States, according to CNN, which cites “two White House officials familiar with the dynamic.”
The crisis at the border has steadily worsened under President Joe Biden and Harris’ administration, with a record number of illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. and migrant facilities that are overflowing and filthy.
Biden assigned Harris to lead the administration’s response to the border crisis on March 24. Since she was appointed border czar, the vice president has not visited the southern border and has earned bipartisan pushback for how she has handled the crisis.
According to CNN, one White House official said aides were “panicked,” afraid that Harris’ job would be “mischaracterized” and become “linked to the border.” Yet, another group of anonymous White House officials said the team was “not panicked.” (RELATED: Still No Press Conference — 50 Days Since Kamala Harris Was Named ‘Border Czar’)
CNN’s @NatashaBertrand: @VP Harris distancing herself from Biden’s border crisis
“She’s focused on [‘root causes,’] from governance to climate change to tackling food insecurity … but … her team has come out and said publicly, ‘We do not own the issues at the border.'” pic.twitter.com/iABeDEo1Y8
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 1, 2021
Even though aides have tried to separate the border from Harris’ efforts in Central America, critics argue that the two cannot be separated, CNN reported. The outlet then cited “sources” praising Harris’ efforts and saying that the vice president and her staff were “wary of becoming a scapegoat for Republicans” over the problems at the border.
CNN wrote that Harris is a “top contender” for president in 2024, and cited “sources” that said she “has not shied away from the tough assignment and is engaged and dedicated to her new role.”
Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cueller called out Harris for “not dealing with the border,” and Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich urged the administration to remove Harris as border czar. Democratic senators from Arizona have also called for the Biden administration to send more Homeland Security personnel to the southern border and reimburse Arizona for the National Guard members they used from their own state.
The article again cited “sources” praising Harris’ strategy in handling the issues.
“Another source familiar with the ongoing discussions on regional strategy said the vice president’s office has been soliciting research on issues, ranging from governance to economic development to climate change, from foundations that study and work in the region,” CNN wrote.
According to CNN, the source said that Harris is “asking for a lot of information” and “reaching out to a lot of groups to get the best information and to really go in with a sense of who is who and the sense of how can they – the administration – move the agenda.”