Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Ariz., assailed President Joe Biden’s decision to pick Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the administration's response to the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border.
Ducey posted a video of his remarks in Tucson to his Twitter account on Wednesday.
"I have been informed that Vice President Kamala Harris has been put in charge of border security," he said. "She’s about the worst possible choice that one could make. No point in her career has she given any indication that she considers the border a problem or a serious threat.
"If President Biden's intent was to show that he's taking the issue seriously, he's really done the exact opposite here. He's completely trivialized this issue by putting someone in charge who flat out, just doesn't care."
Biden made the announcement about Harris on Wednesday, and a senior administration official said later the decision was made to show his trust in the vice president's leadership and because of her law enforcement background during her tenure as attorney general of California.
Harris is expected to meet in upcoming weeks with leaders in Mexico and in the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, where most U.S. border crossers originate.
Harris has also been tasked with developing strategies to address the root causes of illegal immigration, including jobs and corruption issues in Central America.
Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been warning of a growing humanitarian crisis at the border.
Former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan has also called Harris the "worse pick" Biden could have made to head up the efforts at the border with Mexico.
"When President Biden says she is the most qualified, I mean, seriously?" Homan said on "Fox and Friends." "What color is the sky in his world? Because you can't get a worse pick."
Harris "supports sanctuary cities" and, while she was a senator, "wrote legislation to reward those who illegally enter the United States," Homan said.
And video of Harris laughing as she answered a question about the illegal immigration crisis ignited a firestorm of criticism on Monday, as the administration continued to struggle with its messaging amid the border surge.
Harris fielded the question while speaking with journalists outside Air Force Two in Florida, where she was promoting the latest package containing COVID-19 relief as part of a nationwide blitz.
Asked if she had "plans to visit" the southern border area, Harris paused, then responded "Not today" and started laughing.
"I have before and I'm sure I will again," she added
In a tweet, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., had called Harris’ remarks "completely divorced from reality."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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