On Friday morning, protesters gathered outside a border patrol post in Texas, anticipating the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris. Along with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Democratic legislators, Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the El Paso Central Processing Center, a US Customs and Border Protection facility.

Her first trip to the southern border since President Joe Biden appointed her to help address the immigration issue comes after she met with officials in Guatemala and Mexico to discuss the influx of people seeking to enter the United States. The trip is criticized by legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Kamala Harris' visit to the southern border

Harris visited the El Paso Central Processing Center, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility, which President Joe Biden has entrusted with leading his administration's response to undocumented immigration and the surge of migrants at the border. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as several Democrats, accompany the vice president.

Per Newsweek via MSN, protesters holding placards supporting former President Donald Trump awaited Kamala Harris' arrival, with some falsely claiming that "Trump won" the 2020 election, according to a video from the event shared online. Several people carried banners that read "Que Mala Harris," a play on the vice president's name in Spanish. "How mean" is the English translation of "Que mala."

Protestors outside Border Patrol station awaiting VP Kamala Harris. @ArmendarizDis16 @ElAmerican_ pic.twitter.com/mTLLRhTL4V

— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 25, 2021

Following a border news conference in El Paso, Texas, in which she blamed the Trump administration for the migrant situation there, Vice President Kamala Harris came under fire on Friday. While answering reporters' questions, Harris went on to outline numerous Trump administration border measures adopted in El Paso, claiming they had "disastrous repercussions," and praising the Biden administration for efforts she said relieved the situation.

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The vice president blames the previous administration

In a separate press conference earlier in the day, Harris seemed to blame the Trump administration for the problem, saying that the government had inherited a difficult position but had made progress in the previous five months, Fox News reported. Following the press conference, one critic quickly corrected Harris, claiming that the situation had become worse under Biden, presumably referring to the Trump administration's relaxation of border restrictions, which resulted in an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants attempting to enter the border.

Rather than receiving applause, the vice president was greeted by a procession of MAGA protestors carrying pro-Trump flags and holding banners mocking her border response. Before the administration labeled the border situation a "crisis," one sign questioned how many "young girls" needed to be raped.

Despite being ordered by Biden to address the "root causes" of migrant crossings in March, Harris' border trip on Friday came after months of GOP pressure and criticism over her seeming hesitation to visit the region. A border agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he wasn't shocked Harris took so long to make the trip.

 At the end of her short trip, Harris told reporters that Biden inherited a difficult situation at the border from the previous administration and that the spike of crossings was due to a series of "disastrous" Trump-era measures. Trump and some Republican lawmakers chastised Harris for visiting El Paso rather than the Rio Grande Valley's so-called "epicenter" of the migrant influx, which is 800 miles away, as per The Sun.

Related Article: Kamala Harris Will Visit US Border, Criticized for Scheduling Visit After Donald Trump Decides to Do So

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