Biden Taps Harris to Lead White House Efforts on Immigration Surge at Southern Border

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Vice President Kamala Harris would lead the White House's efforts to resolve immigration issues at the Mexico-U.S. border, including a surge of incoming migrants and overcrowded Border Patrol detention centers. “I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this” said Biden of Harris. “When she speaks, she speaks for me, doesn’t have to check with me.” The number of migrants arriving at the border has risen each month for most of the past year, but the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has spiked recently, leading to overcrowding at some detainment facilities. Harris called the surge "a huge problem" in an interview Wednesday. The news made headlines throughout the spectrum Wednesday, and outlets on all sides highlighted the specific issues at the border. Right-rated sources often featured the news more prominently than left- and center-rated outlets did. Many reports from right-rated outlets questioned Harris' credentials on immigration, and recalled when she expressed support for decriminalizing illegal border crossings during the 2020 presidential campaign. Reports from left- and center-rated sources were generally much more neutral.