US President Joe Biden has appointed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead his administration’s efforts to tackle the influx of migrants at the US’ southern border. Delegating the matter to Harris, Biden called it a ‘tough job’ but said that the former California attorney general was equipped to lead the response.
There has been a massive surge in the flow of migrants since Biden took charge, creating a humanitarian and political challenge for the new administration. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied minors encountered by border officials in February, a dramatic surge of 168% and 63% respectively from the month before. Officials are trying to amp up the facilities, opening convention centres and increasing housing.