Kamala Harris is tasked with ending the border crisis. But will it make, or break, the VP?

The vice president has previously called for a more compassionate approach to those arriving at the US's southern border

Credit: AP

Kamala Harris has spent her first few months as vice president largely at Joe Biden’s side, ever present with him at signing events and speeches but rarely taking centre stage.

On Wednesday, however, the president tasked her with one of the most pressing — and politically sensitive — tasks of his administration: tackling the migration crisis on the US’s southern border.

"I gave you a tough job and I’m glad you’re smiling," Mr Biden joked as he tapped the former state attorney general for the role.

Mr Biden, who is struggling to get a handle on a burgeoning migration challenge along the frontier with Mexico, decided to delegate rather than get bogged down with what has been an intractable problem for multiple presidents before him.

The responsibility could well put Ms Harris, who is expected to run for the White House again in the future, in a politically risky position. 

The border — and immigration more generally — is one of the most divisive issues in America today.

“She’s going to blow this,” tweeted Errol Webber, candidate for governor of California, Ms Harris’s home state, unkindly.

Republicans have already pounced on the decision, with one lawmaker claiming there is “no one less qualified” than Ms Harris to ease the border woes. As a liberal woman of colour, the 56-year-old is already a lightning rod for much of the conservative anger at the new administration and they will be ready to seize on any misspeak or misstep.

Ms Harris may not have been the most progressive of the Democrat Party’s presidential nominees, but she was one of the strongest voices on immigration in the primary, calling for a more compassionate approach to those arriving at the southern border.

The surge in migration has created a difficult problem for Ms Harris and Mr Biden, who both campaigned on promises to reverse Trump-era policies of holding unaccompanied minors and adults in “inhumane” cages. 

At the same time, Republicans have blamed the White House for the increase in migrants, saying that its rhetoric has encouraged people to make the route.

Part of Ms Harris’s new role will be to push a more diplomatic track with the Central American countries known as the Northern Triangle — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — where many of the migrants begin their journey.

The plan would invest billions in improving economic conditions, combating corruption and strengthening democracy in Central America. It would set up new pathways for migrants and children to apply for refugee status from afar. 

Ms Harris will likely rely on her experience as senator from California, a border state, to inform her diplomatic efforts. It remains to be seen whether the responsibility will end up being a boon or a boondoggle for the politically ambitious VP.