The other wonderful thing about focusing on “root causes” is that you don’t have to acknowledge “real causes.” The real cause of the surge of illegal immigrants over the southern border is that President Joe Biden scrapped President Donald Trump’s policies, which were working. He ended construction of a wall, the building of which had lent both practical and symbolic force to the past administration’s genuine intention to be effective. Biden sent clear signals southward that Trump’s tough policy was a thing of the past, that migrants would not be sent home, and that now was the time to get into America while the door was wide open. Just as Harris was wafting about south of the border, Biden scrapped Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, which had worked well. It obliged asylum-seekers to remain on the other side of the border until they got a court hearing. This filtered out fraudulent claims, which accounted for the vast majority. Harris’s trip to Guatemala and Mexico makes for great photo opportunities. She can play the stateswoman and be seen glad-handing government leaders on the world stage. Crucially, she can at the same time avoid going to the place where the real problem is.