Hirono: Border Situation ‘a Crisis’ and Harris Should Visit the Border

During an interview aired on Friday’s broadcast of PBS’ “Firing Line,” Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) stated that she thinks Vice President Kamala Harris should visit the border, the separation of families at the border “is a huge, huge concern.” And the situation on the border is a “crisis.”

Hirono said, “I know that Joe Biden is — he wants to create a humane immigration system. He inherited an inhumane, shredded immigration system. And so, yes, this is a huge, huge concern. And I think one of the first things that the Biden administration is doing is to find either the parents or vetted sponsors to take these children because we don’t want them in facilities. So, that takes time. But in order to build a healthy and humane immigration system, that will take time.”

Host Margaret Hoover then asked, “Will you urge Vice President Harris, who has been tasked with handling this crisis, to visit the border, as she hasn’t yet been there?”

Hirono responded, “Of course.” She added, “[W]e have a few other things to deal with, like the pandemic and everything else, so I’m not going to point fingers at her in the sense of — I hope that she will go down to the border.”

Hirono also stated, “I think the president calls it a crisis. I would call it a crisis. We can call it a challenge. But we know what the factors are. We know what is happening. So whatever you call it, we’re going to need to deal with it.”

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