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‘We’ve Been To The Border,’ Harris Says, Then Immediately Admits She Hasn’t Been To The Border

Screenshot/NBC News

Nicole Silverio Media Reporter
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Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly claimed she had been to the U.S.-Mexican border, then immediately admitted she hadn’t when confronted in an interview Tuesday.

Harris, in charge of addressing the migrant surge at the border, told NBC News journalist Lester Holt that she is both “going” and has “been” to the border. When Holt responded that she has not been to the border, she instead argued that she understands “the importance” of visiting amid the ongoing migrant crisis.

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“We are going to the border, we’ve been to the border, we’ve been to the border. So this whole thing about the border, we’ve been to the border,” Harris said. (RELATED: ‘Welcome To The Wrong Border’: New Hampshire GOP Rips Kamala Harris As She Visits The State)  

After Holt corrected Harris, pointing out that she has not been to the border and has received bipartisan criticism, Harris changed tacks.

“And I haven’t been to Europe. I don’t understand the point that you’re making, I’m not discounting the importance of the border,” she said. “I care about this and I care what’s happening at the border.”

President Joe Biden picked Harris to address the border crisis but Harris has repeatedly distanced herself from the matter, characterizing her task as addressing the “root causes” of the immigration surge. Officials have criticized the vice president for her absence at the border, including Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich who urged Biden to remove Harris from her position.

Harris traveled to Guatemala and told citizens “do not come” to the border at a press conference Monday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.

In April, a recorded number of 178,622 migrants attempted to enter the U.S. southern border, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).