Border hawks reject Kamala Harris’ immigration claim: ‘political stunt’

Immigration experts on Monday dismissed Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan to address the “root causes” of irregular migration by funneling billions of dollars of private investment into Central America and said the plan was a distraction from the ongoing border crisis.

“This is nothing more than a political stunt,” Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News Digital. “We cannot control what happens in other countries. We can only control what happens here, but we don’t.”

Harris announced that $4.2 billion in private company funds would go to Central America to promote job creation, clean energy, gender equality and other causes. The ad is part Harris effort stimulate economic growth in the region to reduce incentives to leave for America.

But Judd and other immigration experts said the program is ineffective, in part because it is a long-term plan that ignores short-term realities at the border.

4 MILLION BORDER COLLISIONS WITH KAMALA HARRIS AIMED TO REMOVE THE ‘ROOT CAUSE’ OF THE PROBLEM

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, said efforts to stabilize the Central American region have been made by previous administrations, including the Obama administration when Biden was vice president, but without much success.

“Even if it works, this is a long-term approach and cannot be applied to the entire planet,” Krikorian told Fox News Digital. “This should be combined with tight immigration controls to ensure that people leaving the country move to their cities, not our cities.”

Stephen Miller, a former senior adviser to President Trump and current president of America First Legal, said Harris should rely on her own powers to secure the border, rather than spending on private companies to strengthen corrupt countries.

“Sending more money to Central America — while leaving our border wide open — means illegal immigrants will get more cash to pay their smugglers,” Miller told Fox News Digital. “As the administration continues to allow illegal immigrants to enter by the millions – from more than a hundred countries – the provision of US money to three Central American countries is another factor accelerating the registration of illegal immigration.”

KAMALA HARRIS AVOIDS US-MEXICO BORDER ON VISIT TO ARIZONA

Biden first visited the southern border in January as he has about 5 million migrants under his administration. (Fox News)

Judd also noted that the Biden administration ultimately wants to repeal the Section 42 enforcement policy that allows them to turn away migrants at the border due to the potential for the COVID pandemic to spread. The focus on private investment in Central America is an attempt to say that more time is needed to counter rising migration, he said.

“You can invest as much as you want through private companies, but if the government is corrupt, it doesn’t matter,” Judd told Fox News Digital. “This will not reduce illegal immigration anytime soon.”

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security last month cited data that showed clashes at the southern borders have declined after they expanded their border security efforts and expanded safe haven opportunities for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

“These expanded border security measures are working,” Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mallorcas said. “It is incomprehensible that some states that could benefit from these highly effective enforcement measures are seeking to block them and cause more illegal migration on our southern border.”

THE WHITE HOUSE CAN’T DESCRIBE WHAT KAMALA HARRIS DOES ABOUT IMMIGRATION

In March 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris was given the role of countering mass migration to the southern border. (Reuters/Hanna Beyer)

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However, the number of clashes at the southern border reached an all-time high of 2.38 million in fiscal year 2022. Biden first visited the southern border in January as these migrants meet about 5 million people under his administration. The President is likely to highlight this renewed effort to address this issue in the new year with his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Harris was given the role of countering mass migration to the southern border in March 2021. In the same year, she visited the border once and has not yet returned. According to the Los Angeles Times Scheduled Events Database, the VP hosted 17 events on border issues from March 2021 to August 2021, but has since been largely silent on the issue. In recent months, she has maintained that “the border is safe.”