CNN
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As President Joe Biden’s approach to immigration at the US-Mexico border faces its most critical test when Title 42 expires, his No. 2, Kamala Harris, will be dealing with what is likely her own vision problem.
Aides to the vice president know the expiration of the Trump-era border ban that allows authorities to quickly deport migrants on public health grounds will bring a flood of attacks. against Harris, who led the administration’s effort to address the cause of Central American migration.
It was a 2-year task, assigned by Biden, that put Harris at the peak of political vulnerability, with Republicans often framing him as the “border czar,” which did not prevent the historic migration to the Western Hemisphere.
But Harris’ staff and allies counter that it’s the actual work he and his office do in Northern Triangle countries — and not the border — that makes a difference.
“While Republicans are focusing on these border attacks, we’re doing the work of managing it,” an administration official told CNN. “Each agency is slowly and steadily making progress in implementing what we set out to do that we’re trying to do there.”
Although Harris has rejected the GOP’s framing that he is responsible for border policy, he has struggled to change the narrative. And the border flare-ups come nearly a month after Biden and Harris launched their 2024 reelection bids, testing voters’ opinions on this emotional issue.
“Perception is a big part of politics,” said Andrew Selee, president of the non-partisan think tank Migration Policy Institute, who is meeting with the vice president in 2021. “It’s important for the vice president what happens next.” weeks and months to come.”
Migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to the US reached record lows since its peak in 2021, while migrants from other countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua increased significantly. .
Border arrests are often cited in evaluating an administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, although it’s not the most accurate metric, experts say. White House officials are well aware of this and are watching closely to see if the number of migrants from Central America picks up in the coming days and weeks, the administration official said.
Publicly, the vice president’s office called the current downward trend “encouraging,” and privately, aides cited investments in the region under Harris’ leadership as one of several reasons for the drop.
So far, the vice president has secured more than $4.2 billion in private sector commitments from companies as a key part of his plan to encourage would-be migrants to stay home. As many as 47 entities are working together in the financial services, textiles and clothing, agriculture, technology, telecommunications, and nonprofit sectors to strengthen the region’s economy, according to a White House fact sheet from February, the last major public update.
Diplomatically, Harris visited Guatemala and Honduras. He has held in-person and telephone conversations with counterparts but objections to democracy and corruption concerns have limited Harris’ ability to fully engage, officials said.
Harris’ public events to tout progress made in the region have slowed over the past year with her attention focused on other domestic crises such as reproductive rights, voting rights and supporting democracy. However, those close to Harris say he was always involved.
“He is engaged. He knows inside out. He drives the team forward as an executive. He gave us direction in a clear way,” said Jonathan Fantini-Porter, executive director and CEO of the Partnership for Central America, which acts as a liaison between companies and the US government and regularly interacts with office of the vice president. “You can talk to him a lot. He can talk about metrics, direction where things are going. ”
The vice president receives monthly updates, a source familiar with Harris’ schedule said. Many times, the meetings consist of a review of progress and strategic vision. But the next 48-hours and likely weeks ahead once Title 42 is repealed will test the credibility and effectiveness of the vice president’s mission.
“People who are more powerful, they’re playing politics,” said Dan Restrepo, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former Obama senior adviser who has met with the vice president’s office on the issue.
Restrepo added, “They are not particularly interested in working on the issue, they are interested in political benefits.”
The role of vice president, the first major issue given to him in March 2021, is billed as a long-term effort to develop a greater strategic partnership with the countries of Central America and prevent the flow of migrants. At the time, an influx of unaccompanied minors was apprehended at the southern US border from Central America – a region where major hurricanes and the coronavirus pandemic have wreaked havoc.
Since then, the number of border encounters from there has decreased. In March 2021, border authorities encountered more than 85,000 migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. In the same time period this year, the number fell to nearly 34,000, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.
In the last two years, the vice president launched two pillars of his long-term plan: a “Call to Action” courting businesses to invest in the region and an initiative called “Central America Forward, ” which focuses on good governance and labor rights.
Ensuring good governance is the most difficult part of Harris’s task because of the unfavorable conditions for developing democracy. In El Salvador, there are concerns about limiting government checks and balances, while in Guatemala, there are concerns about government corruption. And in Honduras, the election of President Xiomara Castro has not brought about the radical change in corruption or organized crime that was once believed.
“Fighting corruption is a central pillar of our effort to address the root causes of migration, and we’re not going to waver on that,” a White House official told CNN. “But the existence of corruption does not prevent us from successfully solving the additional cause of migration.”
Without the environment to deepen diplomatic ties, Harris relied heavily on private sector investments. He made millions from companies like Microsoft, Mastercard, Chobani, Duolingo, Nespresso, Bancolombia and Davivienda. Microsoft has pledged to expand internet access to up to 3 million people in the region by July 2022 and Chegg, an online-learning platform, has committed to certifying 100,000 young adult students in Honduras in 2030.
Experts credit Harris’ ability to secure private sector investments as his most visible action in the region to date. However, those with a stake in the region question the sustainability of the investments in the long term without further diplomatic success in the region.
“If you’re trying to build these relationships with corrupt actors and you’re just focused on investing, investing, investing without considering the conditions in those countries, I think that’s a problem,” Ana María Méndez- Dardón, director of Central America at the Washington Office of Latin America, told CNN.
Harris’ efforts with the Partnership for Central America are intended to lay the economic foundation now to reap greater benefits for the people of Central America in the future. And the US government, they say, is stepping up its own abilities to match private investments. A White House official said the administration is on track to fulfill its commitment under the Root Causes Strategy to increase US foreign aid to the region by providing $4 billion over four years.
But many, who support the efforts of the vice president, warn that it is likely that the real impact of the regional contributions will soon be seen.
“I think we’ll only know if a strategy is working a few years down the road, because, again, it’s a strategy that solves long-term systemic issues,” Jason Marczak, senior director of Adrienne Arsht Latin America at the Atlantic Council. Center, told CNN.
Therefore, the vice president has twin challenges, continued by experts and allies. First is the development of his Northern Triangle work and second, is to fight the perception that he is also responsible for the border, no matter how chaotic the situation.
“The vice president’s big problem with this issue is that he wants to own the investment side, but not the border strategy,” a source familiar with the vice president’s strategy told CNN. That makes him vulnerable, the source said, because, “he is politically responsible for whatever happens.”
