“Don’t come” to the USA, “if you arrive at our border, you will be sent back”. Words from Donald Trump? No. This is the appeal launched by the US vice president, Kamala Harris, during his visit to Guatemala, addressing potential migrants. “Most people don’t want to leave the place where they grew up”, but he often does it “because he runs away or because he simply cannot meet his basic needs while staying at home”, acknowledged the number two of the Biden administration, meeting the Guatemalan president Alejandro Giammattei.
But instead of making the trip to the US, Harris invited Guatemala to “working together” to find solutions to “long-standing problems”. People must be given “a sense of hope that help is on the way”. The goal is “create conditions in Guatemala so that (young people) can find the hope they do not have today”, he added.
During his visit to GuatemalaHarris announced a joint human trafficking task force, women’s empowerment program, and anti-corruption task force to help local law enforcement prosecute cases. Faced with criticism from Republicans that neither she nor President Joe Biden has yet visited the southern border, she stressed that with her trip to Central America she discussed issues in “meaningful way and with real results “instead of making” big gestures “.
The number two of the US administration is then flew to Mexico to meet President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The White House promised to implement a more humane immigration policy following Donald Trump’s uncompromising approach, but the GOP accuses her of creating a “crisis” on the southern border due to the inability to curb immigration.