By Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hosts Guatemala’s new liberal president, Bernardo Arevalo, at the White House on Monday to bolster his fledgling government and discuss how to reduce migration from Central America.
Harris’s meeting, which was first reported by Reuters last week, is designed to underscore U.S. support for the new reform-minded president, whose inauguration was delayed in January by opponents seeking to weaken his authority.
Immigration has become a hot button issue in President Joe Biden’s and Harris’s 2024 re-election campaign, with Republicans charging the administration with mishandling spikes in numbers of new immigrants crossing the U.S. border. The White House accuses Republicans, led by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, with torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have tightened border enforcement.
Republicans labeled Harris a failed “border czar” after Biden charged her with spearheading efforts to address the causes of migration from countries in Central America that have contributed to the increase in immigrant inflows.
Harris and Arevalo plan to discuss how the United States can support the new president to fight corruption, strengthen human rights, boost the economy, fight “gender-based violence,” and improve security, a White House official said.
They also would discuss Arevalo’s outreach to indigenous people and the prioritization of efforts to reduce what the official called “irregular migration” to the United States.
“The United States supports the agenda of President Arevalo and this visit is an opportunity help him implement it and to demonstrate our full-throated support for his work, which will help give people hope and economic opportunity in Guatemala, and therefore help reduce irregular migration to the United States,” the official said before the meeting.
“Arevalo’s election and inauguration has brought a sense of optimism to the people of Guatemala and to our Administration.”
The official said having a government in place in Guatemala that is committed to rooting out corruption would help reduce migration.
Harris also will announce new financial commitments from companies that are part of a public-private partnership program to invest in Central America, the White House said.
The new commitments total more than $1 billion and total more than $5.2 billion since May 2021, it said. They include a commitment by Meta to train young people and small business owners in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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