Vice President Kamala Harris finally began addressing the current U.S. border crisis this week — nearly 11 weeks since President Joe Biden tasked her with the duty — by scheduling a trip to Guatemala to discuss the “root cause” of illegal immigration with the country’s leadership Monday.
Despite her best efforts, it has been a rocky road.
First, she arrived to protests from Guatemalans who told her to “go home” and “mind your own business — as well as taunted her with “Trump won” messages.
Then, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei hit the airwaves to say that he and Harris “are not on the same side of the coin” on the issue and to reassert his belief that the Biden administration was responsible for the current immigration crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border because of its “confusing” messaging.
Following Monday’s talks with Giammattei, Harris attempted to send a clearer message to Central Americans who might be considering an attempt to get into the U.S. illegally: “Do not come.”
But that didn’t sit well will at least one left-wing progressive lawmaker: New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who took Harris to task for her message, Business Insider reported, and continued to blame the U.S. for the surge of illegal aliens.
What did they say?
“I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border,” the vice president said during a news conference with Giammattei. “Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border.”
She later added, “If you come to our border, you will be turned back. So let’s discourage our friends, our neighbors, our family members, from embarking on what is otherwise an extremely dangerous journey, where in large part the only people who benefit are coyotes.”
“Do Not Come, Do Not Come”: VP Kamala Harris Shares Blunt Message For Potential Border Crossers
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Harris’ message to the people of Central America displeased Ocasio-Cortez.
Following the vice president’s remarks, the New York congresswoman said the speech was “disappointing to see,” according to Business Insider.
“First, seeking asylum at any US border is a 100% legal method of arrival,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Second, the US spent decades contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America,” AOC added. “We can’t help set someone’s house on fire and then blame them for fleeing.”