What They Are Saying: The Vice President's Visit to El Paso, Texas Was A Success

Vice President Kamala Harris had a productive, successful visit to El Paso, Texas on Friday. The trip was about seeing firsthand the effects of migration. As the Vice President emphasized: what happens at the border matters, and it's directly connected to the work of addressing the root causes of migration. The Biden-Harris Administration inherited a broken, inhumane immigration system – and we're making important progress.

Earlier this month, the Vice President traveled to Mexico and Guatemala to address the root causes of migration. Together, the two trips will inform the Administration's Root Causes Strategy, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Read what people are saying about the Vice President's visit to El Paso below.

What They Are Tweeting:

Senator Dick Durbin, @SenatorDurbin: I applaud the leadership of @VP Harris and @SecMayorkas in restoring our values at the border. As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will continue working to fix our broken immigration system.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, @RepEscobar: Grateful to @VP for accepting my invitation to visit El Paso – America's new Ellis Island. The highlights of her visit were the conversations she had with El Pasoans – tireless advocates and law enforcement – and with vulnerable young migrant girls seeking a better life.

Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, @SecMayorkas: I am proud of the work that @CBP is doing to keep the border secure while we work to implement a safe, orderly, and humane process for those seeking asylum. I am grateful to the @VP for leading the effort to tackle the root causes of irregular migration.

David Rothkopf, @djrothkopf: With each trip she takes, with each passing month, @VP appears stronger, more confident, and increasingly formidable. There will always be criticism from political opponents. But @KamalaHarris is proving an exceptional asset for @POTUS & the admin.

Sergio Gonzales, @SergGonzales: Today the VP 1) reminded us of the cruelty and chaos of Trump era 2) talked solutions and how Biden admin is driving progress while acknowledging much remains to be done on immigration 3) centered human stories and voices.

What They Are Writing:

El Paso Times: Kamala Harris 'receptive' to immigrant rights organization's concerns during border visit

Fernando Garcia, executive director for Border Network for Human Rights, said his meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris was brief, but a success.
[...]
"She was able to come, not only meet with Border Patrol and other institutions, but meet with organizations like the Border Network for Human Rights," Garcia said. "So, mission accomplished. She listened. She heard our community."

San Antonio Express: In El Paso, VP Harris calls out Trump child separations, pledges 'humane' asylum system

Harris on Friday asserted that the White House is taking a deeper look at the systemic problems in the immigration system that Trump failed to address during his four years in office.
[...]
Harris said that after many years of "inhumane conditions," it is clear the asylum system is broken and needs serious repair.

Texas Tribune: In first trip to U.S.-Mexico border as vice president, Kamala Harris focuses on causes of immigration
[...]
Escobar, who accompanied Harris on the trip, said El Paso is the right place to visit because it has borne much of the impact of an increase in migration to the U.S. in recent years. During the Trump administration, the city dealt with hundreds of migrant children who were separated from their parents while trying to enter the country and had to erect emergency shelters to house migrants.

"I and other advocates have long said El Paso is the new Ellis Island," Escobar said. "We have been greeting asylum seekers and refugees at our nation's front door for a very long time."

El Paso Times: Kamala Harris in El Paso, makes first US-Mexico border visit

Vice President Kamala Harris stressed that to curb increased immigration to the country's southern border, the United States must continue to attack root problems after a visit Friday to El Paso.

Harris toured a Customs and Border Protection processing facility and met with advocates and NGOs. Shortly after arriving in El Paso, Harris said she visited the border city to witness the effects of U.S.-bound immigration on the invitation of El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar.
[...]
At the end of the trip, Harris said at a news conference that coming to the border at El Paso was an important trip to see how the immigration process is faring, but said much of the focus still needs to be on solving root problems in countries such as Guatemala, including violence and corruption, that increase immigration traffic.

Associated Press: On border tour, Harris laments 'infighting' over immigration

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday used her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office to call for an end to political "rhetoric" and "infighting" over immigration, an issue that Republicans have been eager to weaponize 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."

USA Today: Kamala Harris meets with border officials, tours port of entry in visit to Texas border

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday ended her trip to El Paso, Texas, one of many cities along the Mexico border handling a dramatic increase of migrants trying to enter the U.S., by noting she saw "a very clear and direct" connection as to why many migrants are fleeing Central America to the United States' southern border.

"My trip to Guatemala and Mexico was about addressing the root causes," Harris said during final remarks on her trip. "The stories that I heard and the interactions that we had today reinforce the nature of those root causes."