Salazar Book Says Biden Botched Border Crisis, Helping Trump Win in 2024

1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 11

Ken Salazar writes that Biden officials mishandled the border so badly he nearly considered a presidential run himself, arguing the administration failed to grasp the political and policy urgency of migration.
Kamala Harris, tasked with addressing migration's “root causes,” was ineffective on the border, Salazar says, while the White House resisted even calling the situation a “crisis” and offered no consistent message.
Alejandro Mayorkas also comes under fire: Salazar says he pressed the homeland security secretary in October 2023 for a White House-led strategy, but Mayorkas replied he was already overwhelmed and facing impeachment.
A June 2024 executive order that effectively closed the southern border finally matched what Salazar had urged, but he says it came too late to stop border images from hurting Democrats in the 2024 election.
The book lands as Democrats still face a “Biden hangover” on immigration: an April POLITICO poll found half of Americans viewed Trump's mass deportations as too aggressive, yet Republicans remained more trusted on the issue.