Republicans criticized Harris for visiting Mexico and Guatemala during her first international trip as vice president, rather than going to the border region. Harris did not explain when she last visited the border and when her next visit would be.
US President Joe Biden has asked Harris to address illegal immigration at the US southern border. The vice president says he is primarily focused on addressing the root causes of immigration.
Several Republicans have called on the vice president to go to the border on her first international trip to see for herself. Illegal immigration on the southern border of the United States recently reached its highest level in 20 years and urgent help is needed.
The vice president defended her choice to go inland by saying she wanted to address the roots of immigration problems. “You can’t say you care about boundaries if you don’t care about root causes,” Harris said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also confirmed on Tuesday that Harris’s mission is to target Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. “Her job has been to work with these countries and their leaders to address root causes, tackle corruption, and of course work together to address humanitarian concerns,” Psaki said at the White House. “We don’t take advice from former President Trump or most Republicans who criticize us for this.”
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