Harris Has Contentious Interview On Fox News
Vice President Kamala Harris found herself in a tense exchange during an interview on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier on Wednesday, as she faced sharp questions regarding the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and border security. The issue, which has been a focal point of political debate, was pressed by Baier, who cited the substantial number of individuals released into the U.S. over the past three and a half years.
Baier opened the discussion by highlighting what he described as a significant failure in immigration enforcement, pointing to the large number of migrants allowed into the country during the current administration. “What’s your estimate of how many people were released into the country in that time?” Baier asked pointedly, setting the tone for what would become a contentious back-and-forth.
Harris, pushing back, acknowledged the importance of the immigration debate but immediately framed the conversation within the larger context of what she described as a "broken immigration system." She emphasized that the administration has been tackling the issue since day one. "The first bill we offered Congress, practically within hours of taking the oath, was to fix our immigration system," she said, underscoring the administration’s early attempts to address the situation.
However, Baier pressed further, specifically questioning the rollback of the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, which required migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were processed.
This policy shift, Baier argued, contributed to the release of individuals who later committed crimes, pointing to perceived security gaps. Harris, however, countered by describing the administration's more comprehensive approach to immigration reform.
“You have to let me finish,” Harris asserted after Baier’s repeated interjections. “I’m responding to the point you’re raising, and I’d like to finish.” She defended the administration's actions, stressing that immigration reform has been a priority from the start. However, she also made it clear that this is a systemic issue, one that she believes requires more than quick fixes or piecemeal policies.
This exchange reflects the larger, ongoing debate over immigration in the U.S., where the Biden administration has faced intense scrutiny. Despite efforts to implement more humane immigration policies, critics argue that policy shifts have weakened enforcement. The rollback of "Remain in Mexico" is often cited as a key factor in the rise of border crossings, and the administration has struggled to demonstrate effective alternatives.
Harris has found herself navigating this issue before. During a previous forum with Oprah Winfrey, Harris similarly veered off course when discussing immigration, shifting focus to her tenure as California's attorney general and highlighting broader issues in the U.S. legal system rather than directly addressing the border crisis. Critics argue that this reflects the administration's ongoing challenge: a difficulty in clearly communicating its strategy while managing the complexities of immigration policy.
Despite some policy measures aimed at curbing illegal crossings—like President Biden’s executive order that capped entries at the southern border—migrants continue to find ways into the U.S. through alternative pathways, such as the CBP One app and programs like the CHNV initiative. These developments complicate the narrative of improved border control under the Biden-Harris administration, as the full scale of the crisis often remains obscured by official statistics.