Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is demanding access to all internal correspondence within the Department of Justice that refers to Vice President Kamala Harris as the “border czar,” a moniker now being rejected by the White House as an official title.
In a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, Gaetz requested access to all communications since March 2021 that refer to Harris by that title . The request comes as Republicans seek to pin record-high illegal immigration numbers on Harris after she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee last month.
“Vice President Kamala Harris was, in March 2021, tasked by President Joe Biden to be the ‘border czar.’ This was widely reported at the time,” Gaetz wrote . “However, Vice President Harris has, weirdly, recently denied this fact.”
In response, Gaetz is demanding that Mayorkas provide all communications between the DHS and the Office of the Vice President using the terms “czar,” “border,” “migration,” or “immigration” between March 24, 2021 and March 24, 2022. The request also includes communications in “any formal or informal chain-of-command related to border policy issues” that refers to Harris as the “czar” or “lead” of those efforts.
Additionally, Gaetz is seeking access to any internal DHS directives or guidance that refer to Harris as having “any formal or informal clearance, approval, or stakeholder input on Departmental decisions.”
The letter comes as the border has emerged as the top issue for Republicans to target Harris, as she was tapped by President Joe Biden early on in his term to oversee coordination with Central American countries that were considered key sources of migrants to the U.S. southern border. At the time, Harris was coined the “border czar” by Republicans and several news outlets.
But Democrats have since argued that was never an official title and that Harris is not responsible for the record-high illegal immigration at the southern border during Biden’s term.
That hasn’t stopped House Republicans, though, who passed a resolution last month condemning the Biden administration and specifically Harris as its “border czar” over their “failure to secure the southern border.” That measure is largely a messaging bill as it does not hold any legislative authority or action, but it is likely to be used as fodder during the 2024 cycle — especially after six Democrats joined Republicans to back the bill.
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Harris also faces an impeachment effort from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who is seeking to charge the vice president with high crimes and misdemeanors due to “extraordinary incompetence in the execution of her duties and responsibilities” related to immigration.
It’s not clear whether the DHS will provide access to the requested documents, which Gaetz is demanding be shared by Aug. 30. The Washington Examiner contacted a spokesperson for the department for comment.
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