Vice President Kamala Harris, the Biden administration’s designated border and immigration czar, is taking her effort on the road — to Paris.
Criticized at home by Republicans for not focusing enough on the Biden border crisis or visiting U.S.-Mexico border hot spots, Harris will address migration and refugees during her third international trip next week from Monday to Saturday.
At a meeting on Libya, the vice president will focus on the plight of migrants and refugees, said a senior administration official.
She will “be expressing a deep concern for human rights and the situation of migrants and refugees, and reinforce the imperative of protecting vulnerable people, including those fleeing conflict.”
At the “Paris Conference On Libya,” she is also set to call for stronger borders in Libya to keep out terrorists, an issue some in Washington are calling on the administration to institute on the Mexican border.
“Specifically, on Libya, we want to show our support for the Libyan people as they move towards national elections and as they focus on the importance of the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries and fighters from Libya. We want to build a stable and prosperous Libya free from foreign interference and capable of combating terrorism within its borders,” said a White House briefer.
And in meetings and a separate Paris Peace Forum, she is to push for a global focus on “gender equality,” “sports diplomacy,” and “rising inequality,” said two White House officials in a background call.
NPR called the trip a chance for Harris to “build her own foreign policy muscles.”
