Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not hold back when asked about Vice President Kamala Harris’ role as ‘border czar,’ saying she’s “failed miserably” at her job.
Abbott told CBS News on Sunday that Harris as president will only encourage more illegal immigration to the US — a top issue for the Lone Star State state.
“Whether she likes the name ‘border czar’ or not, Kamala Harris was put in charge directly by Joe Biden to be in charge of the border and illegal immigration into the United States and she has failed miserably,” he said.
He also slammed Harris for previous comments, including saying she wanted to decriminalize illegal border crossings, advocating for free health care for illegal migrants and for criticism of ICE.
He called Harris’ statements “a magnet to more illegal immigrants.”
“And so when it concerns the number one issue in the state of Texas, which is immigration, she is a total disaster, perhaps even worse than Joe Biden was,” he added.
President Joe Biden tapped Harris in March 2021 to tackle the role of addressing the causes of illegal crossings of the US-Mexico border. At the time, he said she would be working to stop the surge.
“I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she’s the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border,” Biden said at the time.
Harris’ role has become central to Republican attacks as she runs for president.
Abbott has also previously targeted Harris by dropping off busloads of migrants on her front lawn at the vice president’s official residence at the Naval Observatory.
Harris, who has clinched the nomination with nearly every major Democrat’s endorsement, made her first overseas trip to Guatemala in June 2021, where she famously told migrants “do not come” to the US.
Following that statement, 8 million migrants came across the southern border in record waves of illegal crossings, as previously reported by The Post.
Former President Donald Trump has taken swipes at Harris for allowing “millions and millions of illegal aliens” into the country and a wave of “migrant crime” with it, he told reporters on a recent call.
During a visit to the Arizona border Thursday, Trump’s vice presidential pick JD Vance also focused on Harris and her role as ‘border czar,’ placing the blame on her for the record illegal immigration in recent years.
“It’s unbelievable what we’re letting happen at the southern border, and it’s because Kamala Harris refuses to do her job,” Vance said while touring a smuggling route in Cochise County, Arizona.
While serving as the White House point person on migration, Harris made a single visit to the southern border in El Paso, Texas, in June 2021.
However, sources who were there during the trip told The Post that Harris saw a “rushed” and “sanitized” version of the crisis at the southern border because agents were instructed to clear out as many migrants as possible before the vice president’s arrival.