Kamala Harris was not appointed as the "border czar"

[ClaraD]

oh lets see, she could have visited a LOT sooner than she did, seen what the issue was, reported back to Biden and asked to get together a commission in the administration to take care of it. Didn;t do ANY of that.

OR any number of things. She has plenty of power if the President approves of it.

Why would The administration ask her to take care of it if they did not have a way for her to do so?

what does visiting the border accomplish?

 

[Aurora]

She was assigned a piece of the immigration and border issue....NOTHING MORE.

She had no staff at the time and the Biden staff did not help her assemble one. One of these days Americans will understand that while Presidents and VP's have a great deal or power, they are basically without even rudimentary functionality without STAFF. How do you think Trump spent his terms mainly riding around on golf carts, filling in his scorecard before taking a shot and assigning himself as club champion by virtue of owning the golf clubs where he played.

Kamala has no interest in the border as in securing it. Her only interest is amnesty and pathway to citizenship for an unspecified number.

She is giving democrats what they want millions of poverty migrants. Poor Americans can get to the back of the bus. More likely don't get on the bus.

 

[ClaraD]

LOL what a joke this is. It's not Trumps administration failing, it is Biden/Harris. get it straight. it WAS her assignment. she did nothing.

everyone saw this.

the "piece" she was given , according to the media was "

'stemming the migration' on southern border"​

that is a pretty DAMN big piece.

How are they failing? oh, you mean that policy that Trump made as an EO on his last day in office...the one that allowed Venezuelans to stay and come in without review.

 

[jmotivator]

I think more my point was that this isn’t simply the fault of the Biden administration that many here really try to insist on. I can’t speak for them but I wasn’t born yesterday. This has been going on for a very long time. To pretend otherwise is silliness. I appreciate your acknowledgement of our past.

Arguing that this has been going on for a very long time is like downplaying a category 5 hurricane because there has always been wind and rain.

It's an issue because under Biden the border crossing rate has been smashing all previous records, and it has been such because Biden has been signaling being very soft of enforcement, and all but guaranteeing border crossers six months at least in the US while they wait on a court date, and their stay is accompanied by cash, food and lodging.

 

[TobyOne]

The media is busy trying to scrub Kamala's past. Orwellian.

 

[ClaraD]

Arguing that this has been going on for a very long time is like downplaying a category 5 hurricane because there has always been wind and rain.

It's an issue because under Biden the border crossing rate has been smashing all previous records, and it has been such because Biden has been signaling being very soft of enforcement, and all but guaranteeing border crossers six months at least in the US while they wait on a court date, and their stay is accompanied by cash, food and lodging.

Whose job is it to make Immigration law? pssst it isn't up to the president or vice president....go read the Constitution.

 

[TobyOne]

Another example:

 

[multivita-man]

See post 121. You're dead wrong on that point. The Constitution gives the Executive branch all the authority it needs to defend the border. Claims to the contrary are an attempt to gaslight.

Again, Harris wasn't president. She doesn't have a whole lot of executive authority. Moreover, contrary to what you believe, presidents can't just shut down the border whenever they feel like it. Congress can pass laws that fund and staff DHS, ICE, USCIS, CBP, etc... and presidents can sign them into law and staff agencies once they're passed.

 

[Aurora]

oh lets see, she could have visited a LOT sooner than she did, seen what the issue was, reported back to Biden and asked to get together a commission in the administration to take care of it. Didn;t do ANY of that.

OR any number of things. She has plenty of power if the President approves of it.

Why would The administration ask her to take care of it if they did not have a way for her to do so?

That never was the goal. Mayorkas who has the power has no intentions of stopping any of this.

 

[NatMorton]

Again, Harris wasn't president. She doesn't have a whole lot of executive authority. Moreover, contrary to what you believe, presidents can't just shut down the border whenever they feel like it.

So what happened, did Joe decide to ignore her recommendation after she announced to the press the administration would begin turning people away? Did Harris never clear her plan with the boss? Or were they both full of shite from the begining?

Try as you might, you cannot refute that this administration had everything they needed to stem illegal migration across the southern border and they chose not to do the things the could have done. Harris is running on the Biden record, so it doesn't matter if she was only a figurehead VP for the last 3.5 years. She now owns that record.

 

[TangoNoCash]

Arguing that this has been going on for a very long time is like downplaying a category 5 hurricane because there has always been wind and rain.

It's an issue because under Biden the border crossing rate has been smashing all previous records, and it has been such because Biden has been signaling being very soft of enforcement, and all but guaranteeing border crossers six months at least in the US while they wait on a court date, and their stay is accompanied by cash, food and lodging.

Biggest proposed border changes in my lifetime. Republicans turned them after praising them for weeks. /shrug

It always has been and probably will be just a campaign wedge issue. As soon as elections are over the caravans and concerns magically disappear. If we really wanted border crossings to stop and illegals not to work it’s well within our power.

 

[NatMorton]

Left-wing logic: Kamala Harris will be such a better candidate now than in 2020 because she's got all that experience being VP. Of course, we can't pin any of the administration's immigration failures on her. It's not like she had any real authority or meaningful policy influence.

 

[multivita-man]

Try as you might, you cannot refute

I can. I just did.

You keep evading the fact that we have separation of powers, that presidents aren't dictators, and that the legislative and executive branch are supposed to work together to solve these kinds of problems. The president and his allies in congress worked with Republicans in the Senate to augment resources and were willing to make a range of other political concessions. Trump weighed in and killed the whole effort because Republicans are too craven and obstructionist to do anything that justifies their taxpayer-funded salaries.

And oh yeah, she's not the president - yet.

 

[Rogue Valley]

I remind everyone what happened last February.....

History confirms Republicans rejected a once-in-a-lifetime immigration opportunity

Why? Because Donald Trump "needed chaos on the border" for the November election.

As always, Trump places his own selfish interests above what is best for the country.

 

[NatMorton]

I can. I just did.

You keep evading the fact that we have separation of powers, that presidents aren't dictators, and that the legislative and executive branch are supposed to work together to solve these kinds of problems. The president and his allies in congress worked with Republicans in the Senate to augment resources and were willing to make a range of other political concessions. Trump weighed in and killed the whole effort because Republicans are too craven and obstructionist to do anything that justifies their taxpayer-funded salaries.

And oh yeah, she's not the president - yet.

You're being lied to.

Statutory Bases of Executive Authority
Federal statutes grant DHS general authority over operations to secure the border and specific authority to temporarily close “any ... port of entry” when necessary to protect national interests. Other statutes give the President broad authority to suspend the entry of aliens.

Source: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10283#:~:text=Statutory Bases of Executive Authority&text=Federal statutes grant DHS general,suspend the entry of aliens.

What power does the president have to act on immigration issues?
As chief executive, the president not only has the duty to enforce laws, but also the authority to decide how to do so. Every law enforcement agency, including the agencies that enforce immigration laws, has“prosecutorial discretion” — the power to decide whom to investigate, arrest, detain,charge, and prosecute. Agencies may develop discretionary policies specific to the laws they’re charged with enforcing, the population they serve, and the problems they face. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may decide how to prioritize its resources in order to meet its stated enforcement goals. Executive authority to take action is thus “fairly wide,” as former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner has said.1 The Supreme Court has emphasized the federal government’s “broad discretion,” which includes consideration of “immediate human concerns.”2

Source: https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/president-legal-authority-2014-08-20.pdf

You're falling for the spin that somehow this administration would have done better on the border if only the Republicans had agreed to a bill. They are bullshitting you. Don't let them.

 

[ClaraD]

Left-wing logic: Kamala Harris will be such a better candidate now than in 2020 because she's got all that experience being VP. Of course, we can't pin any of the administration's immigration failures on her. It's not like she had any real authority or meaningful policy influence.

your dude picked a VP with 2 years as a Congresscritter. One that wears eye liner.

 

[NatMorton]

I remind everyone what happened last February.....

History confirms Republicans rejected a once-in-a-lifetime immigration opportunity

Why? Because Donald Trump "needed chaos on the border" for the November election.

As always, Trump places his own selfish interests above what is best for the country.

^^^ Gaslighting. See post 140.

 

[NatMorton]

your dude picked a VP with 2 years as a Congresscritter. One that wears eye liner.

Presumptuous nonsense.

A few first thoughts on the new race for President

Okay, now that race is come into focus, and there's little doubt about who will be facing whom, and after thinking it over for a few days, it's time to put a stake in the ground. As I've said before, in 2016 I didn't find either candidate qualified for office, both for ethical reasons. So I...

debatepolitics.com

 

[ClaraD]

Presumptuous nonsense.

A few first thoughts on the new race for President

Okay, now that race is come into focus, and there's little doubt about who will be facing whom, and after thinking it over for a few days, it's time to put a stake in the ground. As I've said before, in 2016 I didn't find either candidate qualified for office, both for ethical reasons. So I...

debatepolitics.com

How is that presumptuous nonsense? Are you really alleging he has been in office more than 2 years or that he doesn't wear eyeliner? Oh I take it back..he has been in office a year and a half.

 

[multivita-man]

You're being lied to.

Nope. You don't understand how the law works. The president can shut down ports of entry or deploy whatever resources he deems necessary, but he has to work with the laws the Congress passes. Biden's most recent Executive Order "shuts down" the border between ports of entry through interdiction *and* denying interdicted migrants their legal right to apply for asylum. Biden knows this is in violation of the asylum statute (see below) but felt he was left with no other choice because a lot of people are misinformed and are blaming him for a 'border crisis' that could be remedied through actual legislation but wasn't because of MAGA politics. Here's the statute.

8 U.S. Code § 1158 - Asylum

www.law.cornell.edu

(a)Authority to apply for asylum
(1)In general
Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival and including an alien who is brought to the United States after having been interdicted in international or United States waters), irrespective of such alien’s status, may apply for asylum in accordance with this section or, where applicable, section 1225(b) of this title.

 

[NatMorton]

Nope. You don't understand how the law works. The president can shut down ports of entry or deploy whatever resources he deems necessary, but he has to work with the laws the Congress passes. Biden's most recent Executive Order "shuts down" the border between ports of entry through interdiction *and* denying interdicted migrants their legal right to apply for asylum. Biden knows this is in violation of the asylum statute (see below) but felt he was left with no other choice because a lot of people are misinformed and are blaming him for a 'border crisis' that could be remedied through actual legislation but wasn't because of MAGA politics. Here's the statute.

8 U.S. Code § 1158 - Asylum

www.law.cornell.edu

The President can defend the border with the laws in place now. Trump did a better job exercising that authority than did Biden. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth.

 

[multivita-man]

The President can defend the border with the laws in place now.

Nah. Migrants surged in 2019, which had the highest number of border crossings since 2006. They then slumped during the pandemic because everything shut down and Trump also used Title 42, which allows federal authorities to keep people out of the country to fight disease under emergency circumstances. The emergency ended, which meant that Biden no longer had the legal means to block asylum claims.

Trump did a better job exercising that authority than did Biden. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth.

Nah. He was actually the beneficiary of good luck in the form of a pandemic. Otherwise, he would have owned the border crisis even before Biden.

 

[Pyrite]

And rather odd at the time the task was described not merely as finding root causes, but, in Biden's own words, ""stemming the migration to our southern border."

Biden tasks Harris with 'stemming the migration' on southern border

The vice president is expected to focus on both curbing the current flow of migrants and coordinating with countries in the region to address the root causes of migration.

www.nbcnews.com

You might want to guard against the Harris campaign CYA spin on this one.

Looking into the reasons why so many people are leaving their homes in nearby countries and making the dangerous trek to the southern border of the USA makes sense when there's concern about reducing the numbers of such migrants.

It certainly doesn't indicate that Biden put Harris in charge of reducing those numbers.

 

[Pyrite]

The President can defend the border with the laws in place now. Trump did a better job exercising that authority than did Biden. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth.

Cite the laws.

Be specific, and provide details.

 

[Pyrite]

Did Biden assign her the task of stemming migration at our southern border?

No.

Essential Politics: Kamala Harris is taking on the migration issue, but staying away from the border

The vice president has her first solo assignment, but she's struggling to clarify exactly what she's responsible for.

www.latimes.com

March 31, 2021

...Harris’ job is to coordinate diplomacy with Mexico and the three countries of Central America’s Northern Triangle — and that she’s not in charge of the border itself or the influx of migrants overwhelming U.S. officials there....