Congress appears to mirror some of the aprehensions of the American people, and according to a recent announcement in The Hill, an investigation is under way with Vice President Kamala Harris at the center.
As Harris takes over the Democrat 2024 presidential nomination, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has decided to oversee and attempt to pull some accountability out of the White House by investigating Harris' actions regarding the border.
Earlier this week, the committee started asking an agency outside of the VP's portfolio to turn over the documents pertaining to her immigration work, launching what could be one of the more contentious investigations of the last few years.
In sending the request, committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) is seeking to elevate an issue Republicans hope will help them at the polls in November.
President Biden appointed Harris to oversee the administration's root causes strategy, which is designed to reduce immigration flows to the United States by investing significantly in democracy-building and development initiatives in Latin America.
As part of the investigation, Comer has requested requests that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provide any correspondence with Harris's office.
Because of their position in the administration, CBP is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the border, but it has limited influence in the pursuit of regional immigration objectives.
In addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Trade Representative are among the agencies that are most actively involved in the fundamental causes strategy.
Unlike the State Department and USAID, which both have extensive online resources on the strategy, CBP's website does not mention the program at all.
In his letter to CBP, Comer said it’s “unclear what actions, if any, Vice President Harris has taken to fix the border crisis.”
The lawmaker has also asked for any and all documents and communication with Harris’s office “related to the southwest border or illegal immigration.”
While the congressional committee is required to go through their due diligence, there has been a strong theory going through Republicans that the vice president has been derelict in her duties regarding the border.
Even though the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plays a relatively minor role in the implementation of the root causes strategy, it does process migrants who present themselves at the border at ports of entry and vetts migrants from another initiative of the Biden administration.
This initiative allows citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to enter the United States temporarily if they have a sponsor based in the United States.
