Kamala Harris Defends Handling of Immigration: Migrant Surges Are ‘Not Going to be Solved Overnight’

Vice President Kamala Harris defended her efforts to deal with the immigration crisis ever since President Joe Biden tasked her with addressing the ongoing situation at the U.S. southern border.

In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris said she was approaching immigration as an issue from the perspective that “most people don’t want to leave home” unless they are forced to by desperate circumstances. She continued to say that in her diplomacy efforts with the Northern Triangle to address the root causes of immigration, “we have to give people some sense of hope that if they stay that help is on the way.”

As Harris spoke about the Biden administration’s efforts and calls she had with the heads of state in Central America, Bash asked her if she intends to travel to the Northern Triangle.

Yes,” Harris answered. “We’re working on the plan to get there. We have to deal with Covid issues, but I can’t get there soon enough in terms of personally getting there.”

Harris said that during her trip, she intends to meet with community-based organizations to figure out how best to provide aid. The goal, she said, was to provide resources to people who would rather stay in their homelands, though she warned that this process would take time.

“This is the work that we’re doing, but it’s not going to be solved overnight,” Harris said. “It’s a complex issue. If this were easy, it would have been handled years ago.”

Watch above, via CNN.