US Vice President Harris to meet virtually with Guatemala’s president
US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet virtually with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei today ahead of a scheduled June visit to Central America.
Harris and Giammattei will be seeking solutions to the cyclical surge of migration from the region into the US. Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador make up the North of Central America (NCA), where over 890,000 people have been uprooted from their homes due to gang violence, narcoterrorism, natural disasters and other violent crimes. US President Biden is expected to announce today details of a plan on how to ease the crisis, including a specific dollar amount for financial aid, for Central American countries.
Migrants on the US-Mexico border create a slew of issues in both countries, incurring economic costs and raising nativist tensions in the US-Mexico relationship. The Biden administration’s plan is to support NCA governments to counter the violence and slow the flow of migrants seeking refuge in the US. Financial aid will help these governments support vulnerable populations and claw back control of communities that came under even tighter gang control during COVID-19. Biden may need to seek additional measures to ensure that funds are not misappropriated and reach the intended populations.
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