Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisc.) has authored a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to relieve Vice President Harris of her duties as border czar and replace her with someone more up to the task. The letter states:
In May 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 180,034 individuals at the southern border, compared to just 23,237 during the same month last year — a 675 percent increase. This figure does not even include “got aways,” or those who sneak in without detection, which CBP officials estimate to be around 1,000 per day, compared to an average of just under 200 “got aways” per day in the fiscal year 2020.
The Vice President was tasked with solving this crisis on March 24, 2021, at a time when we were seeing roughly 5,500 encounters per day and record numbers of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) at our southern border. Despite being in the midst of a border crisis this country has not seen in two decades, Vice President Harris has not yet shown adequate interest in observing this crisis first-hand. In the 85 days since the Vice President has been tasked with solving this crisis, she has yet to visit the border and meet with Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, and local law enforcement officials. In our experience, it is important to meet with these officials to learn about their perspectives and observations about the origins and motivations of the thousands of people coming here every day. It is an insult to our hardworking Border Patrol, ICE, and local law enforcement officials that put their lives on the line every day that the Vice President has yet to speak with them …
At the time of her appointment, you stated, “I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this.” We disagree. This country cannot afford another minute of inaction from Vice President Harris. While you have publicly defended the Vice President, even you must be discouraged with her inaction. We have all made mistakes in hiring and understand when someone else needs to be assigned to a task. We sincerely urge you to find someone else in your administration to assist you in getting a handle on this border crisis.
Please add your name to this important letter.
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
