On 25 June, Vice President Kamala Harris visited a border-patrol facility and port of entry in El Paso, Texas, amid pressure from GOP lawmakers and progressive politicians from her own party.
The number of illegal border crossings has soared dramatically in recent months. Over 180,000 individuals tried to enter the US via its southern frontier in May alone, according to Customs and Border Protection. This represents a “staggering 674 percent increase” compared to May 2020 when 23,237 illegal aliens were apprehended, US conservative media outlet The Daily Wire noted on 10 June. The GOP and conservative observers pin the blame for the unfolding border crisis on the Biden administration that reversed Donald Trump's policies, which appeared to curb the tide of illegal entries.
Interesting Timing & Choice of the City
Apparently, Harris decided to stop off in El Paso's because the city's residents are more supportive of the vice president than those elsewhere along the border, the academic suggests. In addition to that, going to an area with relatively low levels of illegal border crossings or crossings by those requesting asylum, the vice president reduced the risk of any unflattering photo-ops, according to him.
While in El Paso, Harris nevertheless failed to visit the government detention centre for unaccompanied migrant children at Fort Bliss (a US Army Base) in El Paso, apparently trying to evade yet another photo-op nightmare, the political scientist remarks.
The…
