Harris to visit Guatemala and Mexico for talks on migration, economy
Send a link to a friend
[June 02, 2021]
By Nandita Bose and Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President
Kamala Harris' first trip to Guatemala and Mexico, which aims to lower
migration from the region, will focus on areas such as economic
development, climate and food insecurity and women's issues, her
advisers said.
Harris will land in Guatemala on Sunday and be in the country until
Monday evening, senior adviser Symone Sanders told reporters on a call.
She will then fly to Mexico on June 8, where she will spend the day
before returning to Washington in the evening, Sanders said.
Harris will build on topics previously discussed with leaders in
Guatemala and Mexico such as securing the border and leading trade
missions to the region, her advisers said.
Sanders said there are "three key focuses we will lay out: economic
development, climate and food insecurity and women and young people."
The vice president has not yet spoken with leaders from El Salvador and
Honduras, other countries in the region with significant migration to
the United States.
In May, some Central American leaders pushed back on the Biden
administration's anti-corruption strategy, which included releasing a
list labeling 17 regional politicians as corrupt.
President Joe Biden has faced pressure from Republicans and some
Democrats in recent months as the number of migrants arriving at the
U.S.-Mexico border has risen to the highest level in two decades.
In March, Biden entrusted Harris with leading U.S. efforts with Mexico
and the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El
Salvador aimed at improving conditions and lowering migration from the
region.
[to top of second column]
|
Vice President Kamala Harris attends a meeting with CEOs from
companies that are engaged with the Northern Triangle in Washington
U.S., May 27, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Harris has since taken steps including speaking with
policy experts, members of Congress and various stakeholders in the
Northern Triangle countries. She also announced an additional $310
million in U.S. aid to Central America and recently secured
investment commitments from 12 companies and groups including
Microsoft Corp, Mastercard Inc and Nestle's Nespresso.
The United States will send more border security officials to
Guatemala to provide training in that country.
Washington is also working to open the first of several centers to
provide resources to migrants in Guatemala, said Mazin Alfaqih,
special adviser to the vice president for the Northern Triangle.
The centers will offer services to people seeking lawful pathways of
migration to the United States as well as those in need of
protection, asylum referrals and refugee resettlement.
Harris will also discuss "COVID cooperation" with both countries
during her trip, said Sanders, who did not share details on whether
that would include the sharing of vaccines.
On Tuesday, the United States formally ended the Trump-era "remain
in Mexico" policy, which forced tens of thousands of Central
American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for U.S. court cases.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by
Peter Cooney)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |