In 2021, Vice-President Harris was tasked by President Biden to explore the root causes of illegal immigration from the “northern triangle” countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Donald Trump has mischaracterized this assignment, calling Harris the “border czar” during a period when thousands of people from those countries headed north, many seeking asylum in the U.S.
Trump also has repeatedly labeled those immigrants as dangerous criminals who were released from prisons and “insane asylums,” for which there is no evidence at all. Only after listening to his puzzling accusations numerous times did it occur to me that Trump, who has a very limited vocabulary, must be confused about the meaning of “asylum” in this context.
Apparently he assumes that the immigrants are seeking access to better mental health care facilities. An excellent SNL parody would be to reach back in time to Gilda Radner’s amusing character who misunderstood the meaning of headlines, only to state “never mind” when told of their true meaning.
Someone close to Trump should explain to him that political asylum is a legal status, not a psych ward, but even then I don’t think we can expect him to back down.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the Republican attempt to demonize immigrants, Harris investigated what was actually happening and made recommendations.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather conditions have indeed exacerbated the root causes of migration — which include corruption, violence, trafficking, and poverty,” Harris reported.
“The root causes must be addressed both in addition to relief efforts — and apart from these efforts. In everything we do, we must target our efforts in those areas of highest out-migration — and ensure that these programs meet the highest standards of accountability and effectiveness.”
Harris came up with various ideas to address the problems, including “a young women’s empowerment initiative to increase education and economic opportunities for girls and women,” as well as investments in ”agribusiness and affordable housing and supporting entrepreneurs.”
In addition, Harris discussed efforts to promote “anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary.”
There is much more to know about her mission and its limitations, plus a lot to criticize, but suffice it to say Trump’s simplification of a complex issue is typical of one of the insults he likes to lob at his opponents — that of a “low intelligence person.”
Of course, he is incapable of appreciating that irony.
HEADLINES:
Democrats on defensive after Kamala Harris’s economic plans poorly received (Financial Times)
A Vice Presidential Learning Curve: How Kamala Harris Picked Her Shots (NYT)
Harris holds slight national lead over Trump, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds (WP)
Discord in Chicago and An Effort to Impeach Biden (NYT)
'The middle wants to believe in America': Why Trump's doom and gloom falls flat (MSNBC)
Trump’s Got Troubles (New Yorker)
Deploying on U.S. Soil: How Trump Would Use Soldiers Against Riots, Crime and Migrants (NYT)
Walz is winning the popularity contest, despite GOP attacks (The Hill)
‘The guy is ambitious’: How Walz got on Harris’ radar — and onto the 2024 ticket (Politico)
Infiltrating the Far Right (The New Yorker)
How a small group of nuns in rural Kansas vex big companies with their investment activism (AP)
Zelenskiy’s gamble: success of shock Russia offensive hangs in the balance (Guardian)
Kremlin response to Kursk incursion shows how Putin freezes in a crisis (WP)
Ukrainian forces strike 2 key bridges in Russia’s Kursk area in a possible sign they intend to stay (AP)
Solidarity with Palestine must be about decolonisation, not just ceasefire (Al Jazeera)
Elon Musk’s financial woes at X have Tesla bulls fearing he will liquidate more stock (Fortune)
Google takes on OpenAI with Gemini Live (TechCrunch)
AI is unlocking new uses for military drones (CNBC)
Chicago Cracks Down On Rising Violence By Installing Enormous Metal Detector Over City (The Onion)
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