Kamala Harris to visit U.S.-Mexico border this week amid Republican criticism
23 June 2021
Vice President Harris will visit the U.S.-Mexico border while in El Paso, Texas, on Friday, Politico first reported and Axios confirmed.
Why it matters: Harris, who President Biden put in charge of solving the migrant surge at the southern border, has faced accusations of ignoring the crisis — primarily from Republicans — for not visiting the border.
Harris’ trip will come just days before former President Trump visits the border with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and several House Republicans, according to Politico.
- She is expected to be accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The big picture:Harris has defended her lack of a visit by pointing out that her focus is on addressing the underlying causes of migration in Northern Triangle nations and Mexico.
- The vice president visited Guatemala and Mexico earlier in June. During that trip, she met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to promote greater cooperation between the two countries on immigration.
Go deeper ... Scoop: White House considering fast-track family deportations
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.