LIVE UPDATES: VP Harris visits southern border

Harris is asked why she visited El Paso rather than sectors that are more acutely hit, like the Rio Grande Valley.

"What is happening here in El Paso in many ways highlights many of the the facets on immigration," she says.

Harris says a number of Trump policies, like the Remain-in-Mexico policy and child separation policies, were implemented. She says there has been "great work" by DHS and CBP on technology that has expedited processing of people arriving at the border.

"They have instituted technology that over the last couple of months has expedited, in a very significant way, processing of people who are arriving at our border."

Durbin claims that Harris has worked hard on immigration in the Senate, and said her visit shows "her caring and her commitment to meaningful immigration reform."

He says Congress needs to act, says it has been 35 years since an immigration bill.

He also says he heard Rep. Escobar's thoughts on immigration reform, "I believe she is moving in the right direction" he says.

Harris, addressing reporters, is claiming that they have made "extreme progress" in tackling the migration surge that has exploded during the administration.

She praised DHS Secretary Mayorkas for bringing resources, support and professionalism and also praised the men and women on the ground.

"I commend all of them for their success they have seen thus far, I call it progress, we're not exactly where we want to be yet, but we've seen extreme progress over these last few months because of his dedication and his efforts," she says.

There were 180,000 migrant encounters in May alone, as well as an increase in the seizures of fentanyl. However, the administration has pointed to the rapid transfer of unaccompanied children from Border Patrol to Health and Human Services and into the United States.

Harris is speaking to reporters after her visit to El Paso, and says it reinforces her belief that "root causes" are driving migrants to make the journey north -- something she said she saw in Guatemala and Mexico.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas is not impressed by Kamala Harris' visit to the border.

"It’s nice of Border Czar Kamala to stop by for a photo-op at the border today," he tweeted. "QUIT PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES WITH AMERICAN LIVES!"

https://twitter.com/RonnyJacksonTX/status/1408468711825199105?s=20

Harris is blaming the prior administration for the migrant crisis as she visits the border for the first time -- claiming she has "made progress."

Harris said "we inherited a tough situation" and noted that El Paso was where the controversial child separation policy began.

The administration has rolled back a number of Trump-era border policies, which has coincided with a surge in migration at the border. It has claimed the strategy is working as they seek to build a "humane" immigration system.

"In five months, we've made progress. There's much more work to be done, but we've made progress."

Harris is touring a local port of entry as part of her tour in El Paso, Texas.

The press pool reported that the Vice President was out of sight for much of her visit. She was in an area for unaccompanied children and was shown pictures from 2016.

She asked "when did things improve" and an agent told her they began to get better in 2018 and improved even more in 2019. 

He later said at the processing center they are comparing information to past visa applications and other documents on file.

'We're always looking for areas to improve," he said.

Per the pool: Harris met with five young migrant girls ages 9-16

Harris is touring a CBP facility in El Paso.

According to pool reporters, an agent told Harris about how they are trying to lessen paperwork with new technology.

He described to her how the new technology they are using has cut down on work for agents and intake processing time. 

"I would imagine it also increases the accuracy," Harris said. "Can I take a look at the files?" 

"We're moving at lightspeed," another agent said, who said they are getting placements for migrants much faster.

He said it's meant to be a "one stop shop."

Pressure from Republicans was not a factor in the decision by Vice President Kamala Harris to visit El Paso, Texas, on Friday after months of avoiding the U.S.-Mexico border region amid a surge in migration, a Harris spokeswoman insisted Thursday.

The White House has insisted that Harris was tapped by President Biden in March to take on the root cause of the problem. The Biden administration has portrayed the border crisis as an issue that was inherited from the previous administration. 

Symone Sanders, the spokesperson and senior adviser for Harris, held a call with reporters and was asked if Harris’ visit was somehow her office "bowing to political pressure from Republicans and some Democrats."

"This administration does not take their cues from Republican criticism, nor from the former President of the United States of America. We have said, over a number of different occasions—and the vice president has said, over the course—over the last three months, that she would go to the border. She has been before. She would go again. She would go when it was appropriate, when it made sense."

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Vice President Harris has arrived in El Paso, Texas, and is on her way to a tour of a migrant processing facility and Border Patrol station.

She will then receive an "operational briefing" about the operations of the facility.

As she deplaned, she snapped at a question about why she had chosen now to make her first trip to the border in the more than 90 days since being appointed to oversee the diplomatic outreach to solve the migrant crisis.

"It's not my first trip, I've been the border many times," she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to El Paso, Texas Friday for her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border following mounting criticism from Republicans for not going sooner after being tapped by President Biden to oversee the administration’s efforts in tackling "root causes" of the border crisis. 

Upon arrival in Texas, Harris will participate in a walking tour of the El Paso Central Processing Center, a Customs and Border Patrol facility. Following the tour, Harris is expected to receive an "operational briefing," which is set to cover the operations of the facility, the latest advancements in technology, and the facility’s efforts and the administration’s efforts to combat transnational crime.

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