Dems Receive ‘Talking Points’ To Combat Harris’ ‘Border Czar’ Narrative

Democrats have reportedly been given a “talking points” memo to defend Vice President Kamala Harris from criticisms of her role as a "border czar" amidst ongoing border chaos and record illegal crossings, according to Fox News.

The report cited a Democratic lawmaker who confirmed the memo’s existence but was unsure of its origin. Fox News obtained a copy of the memo, which has also surfaced on social media.

The memo highlights key points for defending Harris:

• Harris was never officially appointed as “border czar.”
• The title was created by Republicans and the media.
• President Biden never tasked Harris with leading immigration or border policy.
• Her assignment was to focus on the “root causes” of migration, especially from Central America.
• Migration from countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador has decreased.

This comes as illegal immigration remains a key issue in the current election cycle. Critics argue Harris has not adequately addressed the border crisis since President Biden assigned her to tackle the root causes of migration in 2021.

Brandon Judd, the former president of the Border Patrol Union, expressed disappointment with Harris’s handling of the issue. “We gave her the policies that she needed to implement. She refused to implement those,” Judd told Fox News.

Judd’s criticism comes at a time when scrutiny over Harris’s record on immigration is intensifying, especially after President Biden announced his support for her potential candidacy to succeed him.

Back in March 2021, when Biden appointed Harris to lead diplomatic efforts addressing migration, the Associated Press reported that she was tasked with working on long-term solutions in Northern Triangle countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Harris’s role also included pressuring these nations to improve their immigration enforcement and border security.

Later in 2021, Harris negotiated a memorandum with Mexico, resulting in $4 billion in U.S. aid to Central American countries and $5.2 billion in private investment to address the root causes of migration. However, Harris has not visited the border or neighboring countries since January 2022, and the Root Causes initiative has made no new commitments since then, according to NBC News.

Despite a decrease in migration from the Northern Triangle, overall illegal crossings hit record highs in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as migrants from around the world reached the U.S. border. In 2023 alone, over 30,000 Chinese migrants were apprehended for illegally crossing the southern border.

Judd argues that the root causes Harris identified, such as political instability, climate change, and crime, existed under Trump but did not lead to the same levels of illegal immigration. He attributes the current surge to Harris creating a “magnet” by allowing people to be released into the U.S.

Harris has long been an advocate for less stringent enforcement of immigration laws. In 2015, as California’s attorney general, she argued that an “undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” During her time as a U.S. senator, she opposed policies that would turn away individuals fleeing harm without giving them due process.

However, Judd believes Harris has failed to grasp the true root causes of the immigration crisis. “Political instability, crime, and climate have not changed from the Trump administration to now, yet illegal immigration has surged. She hasn’t addressed the actual root causes,” he said.

In response to recent criticisms, media outlets including Axios, Newsweek, and USA Today have reportedly updated their coverage, clarifying that Harris was never officially designated as a “border czar.”