'Border Czar'? Kamala Harris' Record on Immigration

As GOP leaders made immigration a key focus of the Republican National Convention, convention speakers frequently noted Vice President Kamala Harris’ border policy and described her as a “border czar.” 

For Context: Axios (Lean Left bias) received criticism Wednesday for reporting that Republicans inaccurately dubbed Harris as a “border czar,” when the outlet described Harris as such in a 2021 article. 

Harris’s Record: In 2021, Biden asked Harris to lead efforts to address the causes of immigration in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Harris worked with Central American leaders to reduce drug and weapons smuggling and corruption, provide humanitarian relief and add economic opportunities. She hasn’t been to the border or the countries below it since early 2022, however.

How the Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum noted that Harris was directed to focus on Central American countries, not to lead immigration policy overall. Many also noted her sparse record after receiving that assignment. NBC News (Lean Left) said Harris’s “public-facing work on addressing the root causes of migration largely evaporated within months.” Conversely, Time Magazine (Lean Left) argued that Harris’s efforts won’t bear immediate results, and that she became “the most visible scapegoat” for the border crisis as the number of crossings increased. Sources from the right often noted Harris’ border “failures,” including the record numbers of illegal border crossings seen in recent years.