President Joe Biden has tasked Vice President Kamala Harris to manage the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, which has been cast into the political spotlight in recent days.
The Republicans call it a crisis, while Democrats say they inherited a bad situation to begin with.
It’s an issue many presidents have tackled, but few have succeeded in delivering true immigration reform.
On KCBS Radio’s “The State of California,” San Jose State University Political Scientist and KCBS Political Analyst Larry Gerston said the Biden administration was caught flat-footed.
“When they changed the rules, they decided to welcome or accept unaccompanied minors,” he said. “Gosh it’s gone up 50% in the past three weeks. And so, in doing that, you would expect that they’d be a little bit more prepared, but instead, of course, as we know, they’re not.”
While Harris will be managing the border issue, Gerston said she isn’t the only California connection.
“The other person who has to get very involved in this is the HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra,” he noted. “So, these two Californians will be really instrumental in finding the appropriate answers to this crisis.”
Gerston said the immigration battle will be a long-term debate that shouldn’t derail the administration’s other goals.
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