Harris makes highly anticipated trip to border | TheHill

Vice President Harris on Friday made a closely watched trip to the southern border, where she met with border agents and young migrants and doubled down on the need to focus on the reason people are making the journey to the U.S. from Mexico and Central America.Harris traveled to El Paso, Texas, her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border as vice president and her first since President BidenJoe Biden Pence said he's 'proud' Congress certified Biden's win on Jan. 6 Americans put the most trust in their doctor for COVID-19 information: poll US to give Afghanistan 3M doses of J&J; vaccine MORE announced she would lead the administration’s efforts to stem the flow of migrants to the border from Northern Triangle nations.While Harris did not make any policy announcements or urge migrants not to make the trip to the U.S. as she did during a recent trip to Guatemala, she declared her border appearance productive while keeping the focus on the administration's broader goals.“This has been a very important trip,” Harris said during a press conference. "But, if the Vice President came to Texas without a concrete plan to secure our border and is unwilling to reverse her administration’s failed immigration policies that caused the crisis, then her visit is nothing short of a glorified photo-op."Harris's choice of El Paso can also be read as a rebuke to Rep. Henry Cuéllar (D-Texas) in the Rio Grande Valley, who has been critical of the Biden administration's border policies, and a reward to El Paso's Escobar.Cuéllar, who represents Laredo, has been a frequent guest on Fox News, where he's been critical of the vice president, and has insisted that border management falls within Harris's migration portfolio.Rep. Filemón Vela (D-Texas), a vocal opponent of the border wall who also represents a district in the Rio Grande Valley, defended Harris's choice of border venue for her first visit.Asked whether he would have accepted the invitation from Cuéllar or Escobar in Harris's shoes, Vela replied, "Veronica's.""The vice president can't be everywhere and El Paso is populated with migrant children and families," said Vela."And besides, I'm in the Rio Grande Valley right now and we are focused on things other than migration.