Washington:

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of handling the influx of migrants at the Mexican border, addressing a row that has galvanized his critics.

“I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this,” Biden said at a White House meeting with Harris by his side.

“When she speaks, she speaks for me,” Biden said, adding: “I give you a tough job.”

Harris said there was “no question that this is a challenging situation.”

Thousands of migrants have sought to enter the United States in recent weeks as they flee violence in impoverished Central America.

While increases in migration are common at this time of year, Republicans have called the influx a crisis and accused Biden of emboldening migrants by relaxing the harsher policies of his predecessor Donald Trump.

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