Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday she would visit the Southern border at some point, but she remained vague on any timing or plans for a visit.
When asked by reporters if she would consider going to the border to personally witness the migrant crisis she replied, “Not today,” and laughed.
“But I have before and I’m sure I’ll do it again,” Harris added.
The vice president spoke to reporters during her trip to Jacksonville, Florida, to promote the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine.
She said the administration would continue to work to improve conditions for migrants on the border, but blamed the previous administration for leaving them in a “very challenging situation.”
“We’ve got to treat this issue in a way that is reflective of our values as Americans and do it in a way that is fair and is humane, but we have to meet the moment,” she said. “There’s a lot of work going into that.“
The Biden administration continues resisting any firm plans to visit border facilities where migrant children are being held for days in deplorable conditions.
President Joe Biden told reporters Sunday he would visit the border “at some point” but said he already knew the conditions of migrant children who were held in custody.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the president’s handling of the migrant crisis, noting he was “briefed regularly” by staff and regularly pushed his team to expedite the release of children into shelters controlled by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Psaki repeated that the crisis on the border was not a crisis.
“Children presenting at our border who are fleeing violence, who are fleeing prosecution, who are fleeing terrible situations is not a crisis,” she said.