Vice President Kamala Harris praised the work to address the root causes of migration in a meeting with the president of Guatemala, saying conditions are improving in Central America even as immigration into the United States surges.
“For the past three years, I have led our administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from northern Central America and to create what we have named the root causes strategy,” she said. “This work is improving lives and livelihoods in the region and addressing the factors that drive people to migrate to the United States.”
Standing alongside Bernardo Arevalo, who is in his first year of a four-year term as Guatemala’s president, Harris said the U.S. is proud to stand with him following a free and fair election.
“In particular, Mr. President, I commend you for your steadfast commitment to combat corruption,” she said. “American business leaders need stability, predictability, and rule of law to make their investments in countries like Guatemala worthwhile.”
The meeting was part of a mission Harris took on shortly after taking office to address the root causes of migration from Central American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Republicans have derided the effort, dubbing Harris the “border czar” as illegal immigration continues to set new records under President Joe Biden.
The idea behind addressing the root causes is to make Guatemala and other nations more stable and prosperous to lessen the incentives for illegal immigration. To make that happen, the White House says it is on track to provide $4 billion in the region over four years.
“Our work under the root cause of strategy represents long-term development efforts,” Harris said. “The problems, of course, did not occur overnight, and the solutions will not be achieved overnight.“
She said that 63,000 farmers had been affected, 18,000 police officers trained, and thousands of labor and human rights activists supported.
Speaking after Harris, Arevalo said he believes support from the U.S. will help promote democracy in Guatemala, strengthen public institutions, fight corruption, and promote economic prosperity.
“We also recognize that many of the problems we face are structural and long-standing and cannot be solved in a short period of time,” he said.
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“Your ongoing work, which you have described in terms of the initiatives that you have been leading for the Central American region for several years now are welcomed by all of us who want to strengthen the ties between Guatemala and increase prosperity in our region in general,” Arevalo said.
Neither took questions after speaking. The pair will meet later on Monday with leaders from the private sector and civil society, though that event will be closed to the press.