In a recent tense exchange on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Vice President Kamala Harris found herself fielding pointed questions from veteran journalist Bill Whitaker on the Biden administration’s handling of immigration. The interview aired as part of Monday’s special election coverage, and Whitaker didn’t shy away from the difficult topic that has long been a point of contention for the administration—border security.
Whitaker opened the conversation by noting a significant decrease in border crossings following President Biden’s more recent crackdown on asylum seekers. This led him to a critical question: “If that’s the right answer now, why didn’t your administration take those steps in 2021?”
🚨Wow. 60 Minutes mildly pressed Kamala Harris on why she opened the southern border and then waited 3.5 years to reverse course, and she completely melted down in response. Kamala is not ready for primetime:
60 Minutes: "You recently visited the southern border and– embraced… pic.twitter.com/gubfXDraMD
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 8, 2024
Harris responded by shifting the blame to Congress, explaining that the administration’s early efforts to reform the immigration system were stalled by legislative inaction. She noted that despite the Biden administration’s proposals, Congress failed to move forward, in part due to opposition led by former President Donald Trump. “Donald Trump got word that this bill was afoot and could be passed,” Harris stated, implying that Trump preferred to maintain the immigration issue as a political weapon rather than solve it.
Whitaker, with years of border coverage under his belt, acknowledged that the immigration crisis wasn’t solely the fault of the current administration. However, he pressed Harris on the dramatic increase in border crossings during Biden’s first three years in office, pointing out that the numbers had quadrupled compared to the last year of the Trump administration. “Was it a mistake to loosen the immigration policies as much as you did?” he asked directly.
In response, Harris stressed that her administration had been offering solutions from the start. Yet, Whitaker wasn’t satisfied with her answer and continued pressing for clarity on whether the administration’s initial policies contributed to the surge in undocumented immigrants. When he attempted to restate the question, Harris pivoted to highlight the administration’s successes, stating that illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling have been cut in half due to their efforts. She maintained, however, that more significant action from Congress is required to fix the system fully.
Kamala is asked why she has completely flipped her position on many important issues: the border, fracking, Medicare for all. She responds with a total word salad. This 60 Minutes interview is a disaster: pic.twitter.com/q2QjlbLxhJ
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 8, 2024
The exchange encapsulates the Biden administration’s broader challenge with immigration—a topic that remains a hot-button issue as the country nears another presidential election. Harris’s responses reflect the administration’s struggle to address criticism while placing the blame on Congressional inaction and previous administrations for the ongoing crisis. Despite her insistence that progress has been made, the back-and-forth with Whitaker underscores the unresolved nature of one of the country’s most contentious issues.
