Is Joe Biden's decision to put Kamala Harris in charge of border migration issues an opportunity or a poisoned chalice?

  • US Correspondent Emma Murphy reports from the Mexico/America border where illegal border crossings are surging

They insist it’s not a crisis but even the most loyal followers of Joe Biden would have to admit the situation on the southern border is at the very least a mess.

A few days down here on that much discussed frontier doesn’t offer any potential solutions - it just raises more issues.

It’s hard to know if the president’s decision to make Vice President Kamala Harris his “point person” for the border is something she should welcome or see as the most poisoned of chalices.

There is a lot to tackle, however much the administration wants to play down what is going on.

You can play with the figures however you want, but the reality is there are more people illegally crossing the border - it is a big uptick and it’s not going to stop.

The Democrats will say they inherited a flawed system from the Trump era, the Republicans will say a soft on immigration message has emanated from the new president and acted as cat nip to those seeking a new life in the United States.

Those on the left, right and in the middle of the Democrats, and the American people, will have differing views too.

In the end, everyone has a view on what should be done, what rights and what wrongs have been committed.

Navigating that path is going to require political nouse, courage and a fair degree of savvy.

People attempt to cross the Mexico-US border,

To truly tackle the issue, work must be done far from these borders and requires other countries to tackle their issues with or without American help.

Maybe having such a senior figure as the face of this effort will in the end bring success.

But it is a massive gamble for Kamala Harris and high stakes.

Will she be the face of the biggest political crisis to beset the administration or the woman who solved one of the most intractable issues?

The President says of his VP: “I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this.”

A cynic might question his motives, no doubt he will want that border sorted but it will not be sorted quickly.

Keep your VP busy with that, and if you do have an eye on a second term, what a way to keep a would be successor just a little bit to busy to properly engage.