Critics of the chaos at the border, frustrated by President Joe Biden’s lack of interest, are now turning on Vice President Kamala Harris, tapped as the nation’s border czar, for running from the crisis.
Just as Whoopie Goldberg, a host on ABC’s The View, was announcing that Harris would come on the show Friday, the vice president was being hit for “stunningly misplaced” priorities.
First, Bruno Lozano, the Democratic mayor of Del Rio, Texas — currently the epicenter of the migration crisis, where some 10,000-15,000 migrants are sheltering under the bridge linking Mexico and Texas — ripped Harris for attending a football game featuring her alma mater, Howard University, Saturday.
“The VP is able to visit the fun events across the country, while American communities continue to grapple with failed immigration reform. Where is the visit to Del Rio, TX?,” tweeted the mayor.
The VP is able to visit the fun events across the country, while American communities continue to grapple with failed immigration reform. Where is the visit to Del Rio, TX? @potus @cnn @FoxNews @USATODAY @GovAbbott @CBSNews @NBCNews https://t.co/pt9DSwKn6p
— Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano (@BrunoRalphy) September 19, 2021
Then, today, the Republican National Committee criticized the vice president’s recent fun flings, highlighting the administration’s lack of concern about the border crisis, set to be the worst in U.S. history.
Tommy Pigott, the RNC’s rapid response director, focused on Harris’s trip to Washington’s Audi Field to flip the coin that started the Saturday game between Howard and Hampton University, which Hampton won 48-32.
It’s great to be back at The Mecca.
We all know who the real HU is pic.twitter.com/PaHUlk5miD
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 18, 2021
“To put the border crisis in perspective, let’s compare the numbers Customs and Border Protection has reported to the capacity of Audi Filed,” he said in a memo.
“Audi Field holds 20,000 people. You could fill 60 Audi Fields with the over 1,200,000 border encounters reported since February 1; Almost the entire stadium with the over 18,000 unaccompanied children picked up by border patrol in August alone; 10 Audi Fields with the over 208,000 border encounters just last month; 3 Audi Fields with the over 60,000 illegal immigrants encountered in August not from Mexico or the Northern Triangle,” he said.
He added, “If Harris doesn’t care about the border, why is she still border czar? Her priorities are stunningly misplaced. Biden found time to go on vacation. She found time to go to a football game. They both have time to actually do their jobs, visit the border, and finally get local officials the resources they need.”
.@TheView Makes History Once Again When Vice President Kamala Harris Joins The Co-Hosts Live In Studio, Friday, Sept. 24. #TheView https://t.co/K15b0Y8BcO https://t.co/t61HMjFna8
— ABC News PR (@ABCNewsPR) September 20, 2021
As that memo hit, fans of The View and Harris began tweeting approvingly of her plans to make her debut on the show Friday.
Goldberg called it historic as her fellow co-hosts cheered and applauded.
Harris has been so distant from the border issue that she hasn’t tweeted on it recently, instead focusing on getting California Gov. Gavin Newsom through a recall effort, President Biden’s record spending package, and climate change.
