Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign chief suggested she will keep the administration's current crackdown on immigration, which has lead to a sharp drop in border crossings over the past months.
Julie Chávez-Rodríguez, who has President Joe Biden's campaign chief and stayed on as Harris, told CBS News that "the policies that are having real impact on ensuring that we have security and order at our border are policies that will continue."
The current executive action implemented by the government determines a ban on asylum-seeking will go into effect once the seven-day average of daily migrant encounters surpasses 2,500 and will be lifted once it drops below 1,500.
Overall figures had been dropping since they reached a record last December, but the trend accelerated after the measure went into effect in mid-June. The latest data available, also published by CBS News, showed that the daily average of encounters reached roughly 1,650 in the second week of July.
Should apprehensions effectively below the 1,500 threshold, the order will be "discontinued 14 days after" Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas makes a "factual determination" regarding this. It will be reimposed if the average goes back to surpassing 2,500.
Regardless of whether the ban is lifted, apprehensions in July are continuing the downward trend, with June already being the lowest of the Biden administration, according to Customs and Border Patrol.
Statistics released by the agency this week showed that such apprehensions decreased by 29% in June, clocking in at 83,536. This compares to 117,901 in May and is the lowest tally since January 2021.
Troy Miller, acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner said that the administration's recent executive orders aimed at stemming migratory flows have been key to the decrease. "Recent border security measures have made a meaningful impact on our ability to impose consequences for those crossing unlawfully," Miller said.
In another passage of the interview, Chávez-Rodríguez addressed criticism from Republicans on Kamala Harris' record on immigration, as several officials have dubbed her a "border czar," saying she failed to improve border security.
In fact, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik last week introduced a resolution to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris role in immigration enforcement. Stefanik, who is also calling Harris the "Border Czar," said in a statement that her "failed leadership led to the most catastrophic open border crisis in history."
However, unlike the GOP officials allege, Harris was not tasked to be the administration's "border czar" or to oversee immigration policy and enforcement in the U.S.-Mexico border. That role is mainly given to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his department, which oversees the country's main three immigration agencies, including Customs and Border Protection.
Chávez-Rodríguez said Harris is focused on "real solutions" and criticized Republican counterparts for blocking a border deal earlier this year. "As a result of Donald Trump saying that he didn't want Republicans to pass it, it failed," Chávez Rodríguez said. "And we know we need to bring forward solutions, while Donald Trump continues to play politics with this issue."
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