On March 24, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would lead the administration’s diplomatic efforts to stem migration from the U.S. southern border, with a specific focus on the root causes driving people to leave their home countries. This responsibility included working with the governments of Mexico and the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America — Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Many news outlets and political commentators began referring to Harris as the “border czar” (or even “immigration czar”), an informal term in U.S. politics that has long been used to describe an official in charge of or tasked with issues related to border security and immigration policies. Though it does not represent an official title, it is one that has been used by multiple administrations.
Biden’s 2021 appointment of Harris to lead diplomatic efforts at the southern border is currently back in the news cycle, as undocumented immigration remains a hot topic for candidates gearing up for the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November. For instance, on Aug. 25, 2024, former President Donald Trump shared a clip to X, insisting that Biden did make Harris his “border czar.” That clip had received 6.6 million views, as of this writing.
Additionally, another clip was shared to X in which presidential candidate Trump again referred to Harris as the “border czar”:
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “[Kamala] wants open borders. She was the border czar, whether you like it or not… It’s the worst border in the history of the world. There’s never been a country that allowed 21 Million people to come in over a three year period.”pic.twitter.com/aZlYpH1j9O
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) September 5, 2024
Further, the CBS News X account fact-checked statements Ohio-based U.S. Sen. JD Vance made to that effect during the vice presidential debate on Oct. 1, suggesting the candidate’s assertions were false, and that post received 3.4 million views, as of this writing:
But is the debate about whether Harris was named the “border czar” merely an issue of semantics based on what is essentially an unofficial and amorphous title? Let’s dive in.
The Role Harris Was Assigned
During a White House meeting in March 2021, Biden publicly announced Harris’ assignment:
I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she’s the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.
And, you know, back when I was Vice President, I got a similar assignment, but one of the things we did was we made sure that we got a bipartisan agreement with Democrats and Republicans to provide over $700 million to the countries in the Northern Triangle to determine the best way to keep people from coming is keep them from wanting to leave.
…
This new surge [of migrants] we’re dealing with now started with the last administration, but it’s our responsibility to deal with it humanely and to — and to stop what’s happening.
And so, this increase has been consequential, but the Vice President has agreed — among the multiple other things that I have her leading — and I appreciate it — agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept re- — the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders — at their borders.
…
So it’s not her full responsibility and job, but she’s leading the effort.
In his address, Biden stressed a diplomatic approach to resolving long-standing issues that drive migration at its source, such as “gang violence and trafficking and cartels” in the region. Harris, however, was not tasked with overseeing border security or U.S. immigration enforcement directly.
What Is a ‘Border Czar’?
The title “czar” is an informal, media-driven label often used to describe government officials tasked with handling specific policy issues. Past administrations have appointed individuals dubbed “czars” to oversee areas like health, drug enforcement, climate change, and even a czar to handle the outbreak of Ebola during Barack Obama’s presidency. While the term is commonly used, it does not carry any formal significance within the U.S. government.
As the concept of a “border czar” is unofficial, various administrations have appointed civil servants to different aspects of immigration enforcement and diplomacy under this unofficial title. For example, Roberta Jacobson, who served as Biden’s southern border coordinator from January to April 2021 (departing her position just weeks after Harris’ assignment was announced), was often referred to as the “border czar” during her tenure.
However, her role was more focused on coordinating U.S.-Mexico border policy and migration strategies, including efforts to address asylum and refugee processes, making her role different from Harris’ more diplomatic assignment. Jacobson’s role was hands-on, working closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies to handle immediate border issues, whereas Harris’ assignment was more focused on diplomatic efforts to address migration at its source.
Before Jacobson, the Obama administration appointed Alan Bersin as its “border czar” in 2009. Like Jacobson, Bersin was tasked with coordinating efforts related to immigration but was appointed by and answered directly to then-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Under the Obama administration, “border czar” Bersin was responsible for direct oversight of U.S. border enforcement.
Criticism and Media Portrayals
Critics of the Biden administration have often claimed that Harris, as the so-called border czar, failed to adequately manage the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, these critiques often conflate her role in addressing the root causes of migration with direct border security responsibilities, which were not part of her assignment. The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee heavily criticized Harris in a September 2024 report, arguing that she “utterly failed to deliver any solutions to the border crisis her own policies and statements helped create”:
On Harris’ performance as Biden’s “border czar,” the Committee notes, “On March 24, 2021, Biden announced that he was tapping Harris to “lead our efforts” in working with Mexico and Central America to stem the flow of historic numbers of would-be illegal border crossers to the Southwest border. … However, despite the fanfare that accompanied being given responsibility for this all-important issue, Harris utterly failed to deliver any solutions to the border crisis her own policies and statements helped create. A careful look at her track record reveals why putting her, of all officials, in charge of the border crisis was the height of foolishness.”
On the other hand, Reuters reported that these critiques may have mischaracterized Harris’ role, pointing out that her task was diplomatic in nature and focused on creating long-term solutions to migration challenges, rather than immediate border security enforcement.
That memo from the House Committee on Homeland Security also made it clear that border security is primarily the responsibility of the DHS — which has been led by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas since 2021 — not the vice president or any single individual tasked with diplomatic solutions:
The Committee concludes, “Biden, Harris, and Mayorkas were entrusted with the responsibility to secure the border, enforce the law, and keep Americans safe. They have not only broken that trust, but willfully cast aside their sacred obligation to the American people. History will remember them for this, but before those books are written, leaders in both parties must stand up and do what is right—end this crisis, reduce illegal immigration, and secure our borders.”
While the DHS is responsible for managing U.S. border security operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for securing the U.S. borders and ports of entry. Although Commissioner Troy A. Miller presently leads CBP, he has never been referred to as the “border czar.”
Vice President Harris was given a significant role in managing diplomatic efforts related to migration over the southern border from Central America. According to Biden’s remarks when he made the appointment in 2021, her responsibilities did not include direct oversight of U.S. border security.
The informal label of “border czar” has been applied by the media, politicians, government bureaucrats and political commentators to various officials across different administrations, but it does not represent an official title within the U.S. government. Whether by accident or design, the claim of an official title of “border czar” is misleading because in the case of Harris, her purview within that role was primarily focused on diplomacy and addressing migration causes rather than border security enforcement, and each time a so-called border czar is appointed, the person has slightly different job functions.
Snopes has reached out to several people associated with Harris, and will update this article if we receive a response.
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