At US-Mexico border, Harris laments ‘rhetoric’ over immigration

The US vice president, who is leading efforts to cut migrant surge, urges opponents to drop politics to fix immigration.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday used her first trip to the United States-Mexico border since taking office to call for an end to political “rhetoric” and “finger-pointing” over immigration, an issue that Republicans have been eager to weaponise against her. Immigration “cannot be reduced to a political issue,” Harris told reporters. “We’re talking about children, we’re talking about families, we’re talking about suffering. And our approach has to be thoughtful and effective.” Under pressure to stem a surge in migrant arrivals from Central America, US President Joe Biden named Harris in March to lead his administration’s efforts to tackle the migration challenge at the border with Mexico.