White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday sidestepped questions about whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the administration’s border czar, has worked with Haitian officials to stem the migration of refugees.
When pressed on what steps Ms. Harris took to address the Haitian migrants who flooded the border town of Del Rio, Texas, Ms. Psaki pivoted to discuss an immigration bill.
Saying it is “a long-term effort,” Ms. Psaki described the vice president as deeply involved in the issue but declined to identify any steps she has taken on Haiti.
“As it relates to Haiti, as it relates to our broken immigration system, the clear step that needs to be taken is an immigration bill that needs to pass Congress,” she said.
She then blamed Republicans for the lack of progress on a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws.
“There are a lot of Republicans out there giving speeches about how outraged they are about the situation at the border,” she said. “We’re a little tired of the speeches and we’d like to partner on solutions or steps that we can take.”
In her role spearheading the White House effort to address the root causes of illegal immigration, Ms. Harris this summer released a sweeping strategy to improve economic conditions, human rights and combat organized crime in Central America through “policy, resources, and diplomacy of the United States.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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