Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she plans to hold an “honest and real” talk with the president of Guatemala this weekend on ways to limit migration to the U.S.
“We have a lot to discuss,” Ms. Harris told reporters about her first trip abroad, which begins Sunday.
“It’s going to be an honest and real conversation,” she said. “I’m there to listen as much as I’m there to share perspective.”
Ms. Harris, who’s been tapped by President Biden to tackle the causes of a historic surge in migration from Central America, will spend Sunday and Monday in Guatemala and then visit Mexico on Tuesday before returning to the U.S.
Senior adviser Symone Sanders told reporters that Ms. Harris will focus on economic development, climate and food insecurity, and “women and young people.”
The vice president said she will discuss supporting “the folks who need help in terms of hunger, the economic development piece, [and] the extreme weather.”
“It’s also about the need to have very frank and honest discussions about the need to address corruption, to address crime, and violence, and in particular against some of the most vulnerable populations in that country,” Ms. Harris said.
The administration also is planning to open the first of several centers to provide resources to migrants in Guatemala, her aides said.
The U.S. last week officially ended the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required thousands of asylum seekers from Central America to wait in Mexico for U.S. court cases.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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