A visibly irritated Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday rebuffed a question by a Univision reporter who asked when she planned on visiting the U.S.-Mexico border after President Biden put her in charge of the crisis more than two months ago.
Ms. Harris, who previously accused the Trump administration of committing human rights abuses by “putting babies in cages,” has yet to visit the southern border despite a massive influx of migrant children and overcrowding in detention facilities.
During a virtual interview Thursday, Univision‘s Ilia Calderón pressed Ms. Harris on when she planned to visit the region.
“I’ve said I’m gonna go to the border,” the vice president replied with a shrug. “And the administration has asked—”
“When are you going to the border, Vice President?” Ms. Calderón interrupted.
“I’m not finished,” Ms. Harris scolded Ms. Calderón with a raised finger.
“I’ve said I’m going to the border,” the vice president continued. “And also if we are going to deal with the problems at the border, we have to deal with the problems that cause people to go to the border, to flee to the border, and that is the root causes.
“So my first trip as vice president of the United States was to go — in terms of a foreign trip — to Guatemala, to be on the ground there to address and to be informed of the root causes — why are the people of Guatemala leaving,” she added.
Asked if she had a specific date in mind for her trip, Ms. Harris responded: “I will keep you posted.”
Ms. Harris had a similar attitude about visiting the border during an interview in Guatemala with NBC News’s Lester Holt, saying she planned on making the trip “at some point.”
“We’ve been to the border,” she said. “So this whole thing about the border, we’ve been to the border.”
“You haven’t been to the border,” Mr. Holt corrected the vice president.
“And I haven’t been to Europe,” Ms. Harris fired back. “And I mean, I don’t understand the point that you’re making. I’m not discounting the importance of the border.”
Ms. Harris has faced widespread criticism from both sides of the aisle after she told migrants this week “do not come” during a joint press conference with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. Conservatives and liberals have criticized her for not doing enough to tackle the escalating crisis.
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