Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, this week wrote a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris demanding answers to a series of questions about the situation at the southern border, and to urge her to visit the region.
"Now that President [Joe] Biden has named you Border Czar in charge of the administration’s response, I want to express to you the threats and challenges caused by this administration's open border policies," Abbott wrote in the letter.
"These policies embolden and enrich cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers who continue to ramp up their criminal operations," he continued. "Given your new role as the administration's Border Czar, I urge you to visit the border to see the crisis for yourself, and I implore the Biden administration to take swift action to secure the border, crack down on human trafficking, and prevent more children from being trafficked and abused."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday clarified that Harris is focused on addressing the "root causes" of illegal immigration, and "not the border," saying that "there's some confusion over that."
Instead, Harris' role will focus on leading U.S. diplomatic efforts to slow illegal immigration with Mexico and the countries in Central America's Northern Triangle: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
"This new surge we are dealing with now started in the past administration, but it is our responsibility," Biden told reporters last week.
The Biden administration recently issued a statement following a conversation between Harris and Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei saying that the two countries had agreed to work together on addressing the root causes of migration to the United States.
"They agreed to explore innovative opportunities to create jobs and to improve the conditions for all people in Guatemala and the region, including by promoting transparency and combating crime," the White House said in a statement.
In his letter, Abbott asks Harris who is assisting unaccompanied children while traveling to the U.S. border, what the Biden administration is doing to protect migrant children, and to confirm whether or not children have been used to bring contraband into the country.
Abbott also asks for the details on medical screenings provided for children who have been apprehended after crossing the border, and whether or not these screenings could help identify victims of abuse or assault, as well as how the U.S. is making sure that the children are claimed by trustworthy adults and how those who abuse children will be prosecuted.
"Americans deserve to know what the administration is doing to get answers to these questions and to go after human traffickers," Abbott wrote.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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