Vice President Kamala Harris faced tough questions from CBS News' Bill Whitaker on "60 Minutes" about the Biden administration's border policies. Whitaker asked if it was a "mistake" to ease border restrictions early on, noting the administration’s recent crackdown had quickly reduced crossings.
Harris explained, "The first bill we proposed to Congress was to fix our broken immigration system. It was not taken up." She pointed out that even a bipartisan border security bill was blocked, blaming Donald Trump for influencing Congress to halt progress.
Whitaker pressed further, pointing out that border arrivals had quadrupled during the first three years of the Biden administration. "Was it a mistake to loosen the immigration policies as much as you did?" he asked.
Harris insisted they have always offered solutions, saying, "It's a long-standing problem, and solutions are at hand, and from day one, literally, we have been offering solutions."
Whitaker didn’t back down, asking again if allowing the surge was a mistake. Harris responded firmly, "I think the policies we have been proposing are about fixing a problem, not promoting a problem."
"But the numbers did quadruple under your watch," Whitaker pressed.
Harris emphasized the administration’s current success, saying, "We have cut the flow of illegal immigration by half," though Whitaker tried again to revisit the earlier question. Harris also mentioned efforts to reduce fentanyl smuggling, again urging Congress to act for lasting change.