Some mainstream media outlets are now trying to downplay Vice President Kamala Harris’ role leading the Biden administration’s border policy — claiming she was never the “border czar,” despite previously giving her the title.
The kerfuffle started over an Axios story Wednesday that said Harris “never actually had” the title of “border czar.”
Critics quickly pointed out an April 2021 article on the site that asserted Harris was “appointed by Biden as border czar.”
After being called out, Axios issued an editor’s note to acknowledge that “Axios was among the news outlets that incorrectly labeled Harris a ‘border czar’ back in 2021.”
Axios didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The debate over whether Harris was “border czar” — a label given to her by Republican critics — is significant.
The Trump campaign is already working to tie her to the administration’s border policy, which polls show was one of President Biden’s biggest weaknesses.
In March 2021, President Joe Biden tapped Harris for the role of tackling the issues driving migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
He even said at the time that she would be helping to stop the influx of illegal migrants crossing the US-Mexico border.
“I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she’s the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border,” Biden said at the time.
In addition to Axios, Time also published a piece Tuesday headlined: “Kamala Harris Was Never Biden’s ‘Border Czar.’ Here’s What She Really Did,” making the assertion that “Harris was never put in charge of the border or immigration policy.”
USA Today also published a “fact check” saying “Harris’ border work was on ‘root causes’ of migration; she wasn’t in charge.”
“Harris was never put in charge of the border or made ‘border czar,’ immigration experts said. President Joe Biden tasked Harris with leading the administration’s diplomatic efforts addressing the “root causes” of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras,” USA Today reported in its fact check.
Harris’ first overseas trip was to Guatemala, where she famously told migrants flat out “do not come” to the US while emphasizing the administration’s goal to “discourage illegal migration.”
However, 8 million migrants still came across the southern border after that, as previously reported by The Post.
Much of her role has been focused on investing billions of dollars in Central America to open up job opportunities, crack down on corruption, address crime issues that are pushing migrants out of the region.
Harris has nearly clinched the Democratic presidential nomination since President Joe Biden dropped from the race Sunday and endorsed her, along with nearly every major Democrat.
Former President Donald Trump held a call with reporters Tuesday to discuss Harris’ role as ‘border czar’, where he criticized her for allowing millions of migrants to enter the country illegally.
“Harris was appointed ‘border czar’ in March of 2021, and since that time, millions and millions of illegal aliens have invaded our country and countless Americans have been killed by migrant crime because of her willful demolition of America borders and laws,” Trump said.
As part of her role, Harris paid a single visit to the southern border in El Paso, Texas, in June 2021.
Sources who were present for the tour told The Post the trip was a “rushed” and “sanitized” version of the situation as they were instructed to ship out as many migrants as they could before the vice president touched down in the area.
A spokesperson for Harris’ campaign didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.