US Vice President, Kamala Harris announced that the United States will give $310 million in humanitarian relief to Central America, as the region tackles a wave of migration through the northern borders.
According to a message from her office, the Vice President told Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei of the plan during a virtual call Monday.
Harris, who leads President Joe Biden’s efforts to address the influx of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to the US-Mexico border, met with Giammattei by videoconference, prior to her visit to Central America scheduled for June.
‘In light of the dire situation and acute suffering faced by millions of people in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, Vice President Harris announced an additional $310 million in US government support for humanitarian relief and to address food insecurity,‘ a statement from her office said after the meeting.
It said the two governments will also coordinate law enforcement efforts to tackle criminal organizations whose activities help drive migration, as well as open migrant resource centers to establish safe, legal migration.
‘The United States plans to increase relief to the region, strengthen our cooperation to manage migration in an effective, secure and humane manner,’ Harris promised Giammattei.
Biden has asked Congress for $861 million to address the causes that drive irregular immigration from Central America, within the framework of his $4 billion plan for the region.
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His proposal is included in the budget project for next year that has yet to be discussed and approved by legislators.
More than 172,000 undocumented immigrants, including nearly 19,000 unaccompanied minors, were detained in March at the southern border of the United States, a rise of 71 percent in a month and the highest level in 15 years.
‘We want to work with you to address both the acute causes and the root causes (of migration) in a way that gives hope to the people of Guatemala that there will be an opportunity for them if they stay home,‘ Harris also told Giammattei during the virtual meeting.
Giammattei agreed on the need to “create hope” in Guatemala.
‘The Guatemalan government wants to be a partner (of the United States) to address… not only poverty but also the many evils that affect us all,’ he said.
In addition, the president said he looked forward to Harris’ visit in June.
Many migrants in recent weeks say they were given new hope by Biden’s reversal of the hardline immigration policies of his predecessor Donald Trump.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK