EL PASO, Texas — Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting El Paso at a time when the Biden administration must address the challenges of implementing a humane approach to immigration, deal with processing delays and handle increased criticism about the lack of securty at the U.S.-Mexico border. Friday, Harris will be joined by Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. The vice president will tour a migrant processing center, meet with immigrant rights groups and deliver remarks at the conclusion of her stop.
Texas Republicans see Harris’s trip to El Paso as ill-timed or a misstep, but some grassroots organizations in the border city welcome the opportunity for federal leaders at the highest level to see the real issues for themselves.
Born in Mexico, Fernando Garcia forged a new path for himself in El Paso. He's working to ensure equity for the people of the city, and that includes its immigrants. More than two decades ago, he founded the Border Network for Human Rights. The organization welcomes families new to the country with open doors. Garcia said they educate them about constitutional rights and advocate for immigration reform in the United States.
“What you have here is families, children, mothers, immigrants looking for a better life. I mean, this has been always - I mean, this is not new," Garcia told Capital Tonight.
Harris is the White House's point person on immigration at the southern border. Garcia hopes she puts the political rhetoric and theater aside.
“We encourage the elected officials and politicians to come to the border to know firsthand what is happening so they will have elements to not to have a distorted discussion about the border," he said.
On the heels of criticism of Harris for not visiting the border as soon as possible came backlash for choosing West Texas. Both of Texas’ senators said she should be visiting the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
“Ideally, this is just the first of many visits for her to really understand just how critical this crisis is. But to the senator's point, you know, right now, the Del Rio sector is probably on fire the most. And, you know, the Rio Grande Valley has also been a longtime problem as well," Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-San Antonio, said at a recent virtual press briefing.
But others on the ground in El Paso point to how the city is at the heart of the asylum-seeking process. Some are left unsettled by the reports of unsafe living conditions at the Fort Bliss facility for migrant children.
“We always have concerns. We saw the Trump administration take a very callous approach to migrants that come across. Their policy of family separation has been horrible, and I think it's hurt us in the international community. This administration is very different, and this administration is about family reunification,” state Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, told Capital Tonight.
This administration has also been focused on tackling the economic and social issues that are driving people away from Central America.
“That doesn't justify that you have a border that is inhumane, that you have border institutions that violate the rights of people. I think we need to fix that also, at the same time that we're talking about, about root causes," Garcia said.
The Border Network for Human Rights has been pushing for the closure of the Fort Bliss facility, the creation of a welcome center at the border and the overturning of Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows border agents to expel migrants.
In his criticism of the vice president's visit, Gov. Greg Abbott said she is "ignoring" parts of the border that do not have a wall. On June 30, Abbott and former President Donald Trump will tour a section of unfinished border wall located in Weslaco. They will also attend a security briefing with Department of Public Safety officials.