Advertisement

Harris Undercuts Biden, Says Flood of Migrants Proves We Must Do More for Haiti

Advertisement

OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Kamala Harris undercut Joe Biden late on Tuesday when asked about the thousands of Haitian migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, calling for the Biden administration to do more for Haiti.

“The whole point is that we have to understand Haiti,” Harris replied when asked about the reported 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants currently being held under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

Harris also tried claiming that natural disasters in Haiti and their president being assassinated in July have played a role in thousands of Haitians trying to come to America.

“We really have to do a lot more to recognize that as a member of the Western Hemisphere, we gotta support some very basic needs that the people of Haiti have,” Harris said.

Harris also reacted to photos of U.S. border enforcement officials riding horses and confronting migrants crossing the border.

“What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback, treating human beings was horrible,” she said.

Advertisement

“I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there,” she said. “But human beings should never be treated that way. I’m deeply troubled about it.”

Border Patrol is part of the federal government, so Harris is essentially calling for an investigation into her own administration.

WATCH:

A small group of Haitian migrants aboard a private bus contracted by the federal government who were being taken from an encampment near Del Rio, Texas, rebelled during the ride and took control of the vehicle before escaping, law enforcement officials said.

The large white bus was en route to San Antonio, Texas, officials said, when it was overtaken on Monday afternoon at some point during the normally two-and-a-half-hour journey from the border city, the Washington Examiner reported.

The migrants were initially picked up from encampment, where more than 15,000 mostly Haitian migrants had assembled over the past week. Thousands more still remain there and are waiting to be taken into custody under the watchful eye of Border Patrol and Texas law enforcement officers.

The incident was reported to the Examiner by two federal law enforcement officials, the outlet said.

“They did break out of the bus, and they did escape,” said a senior federal law enforcement official in confirming the incident to the outlet on Tuesday.

“It is not clear which federal agency, Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was overseeing the transport. CBP initially apprehends, transports, and processes illegal immigrants, while ICE is responsible for longer-term detention and removal from the country. Neither agency responded to requests for comment,” the Examiner reported.

Advertisement

That said, ICE told a local media outlet that “several noncitizens attempted to flee the contracted bus.”

“The safety of our personnel and the people in our custody is of utmost priority, the individuals, noncitizens are all back in our custody,” an ICE spokesperson told KVEO.

Test your skills with this Quiz!

News of the bus incident and near-escape comes as the White House lashed out at the Border Patrol over tactics agents employed to prevent Haitian migrants from crossing illegally into the U.S. from Mexico.

“Pictures emerged on Monday of agents on horseback appearing to use the reins or lariats to strike at migrants and block their paths with the animals. Some Democrats and the media accused agents of ‘whipping’ migrants, although this has been denied by Border Patrol,” the Examiner reported separately.

The official said that regarding the incident in question, “the agent was acting in a way to keep migrants from continuing forward, said the official,” the Examiner reported. “The agent performed a ‘twirl of the reins’ to keep people back from the horse for their safety, and no one was whipped.”

Advertisement