Harris targets corruption, immigration on Latin America journey – KIRO 7 Information Seattle

GUATEMALA CITY – (AP) – With Kamala Harris visiting Guatemala and Mexico on her first overseas trip as Vice President, the Biden government is expected to announce new measures to combat smuggling and trafficking in human beings and is hoping to announce additional anti-corruption efforts as of A senior administration official said Monday.

The official, who briefed reporters traveling with Harris on Sunday, spoke on condition of anonymity to preview announcements before they were released. Further details were not given.

Harris was hired by President Joe Biden to tackle the root causes of the surge in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, and her staff say corruption is a key focus of their meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday and Mexican Andres Manuel Lopez. will be Obrador on Tuesday.

“Corruption really eats away at the wealth of any country, and in Central America it is so high that it represents a large percentage of the region’s GDP,” said Special Envoy Ricardo Zuniga.

“We see corruption as one of the most important causes to be tackled,” added Zuniga.

The trip got off to a bumpy start when Harris’ plane returned to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, about 30 minutes after takeoff, because her spokesman said there was a problem with the landing gear. She took off on another plane and landed in Guatemala City late Sunday, where she was received by Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.

Harris seeks pledges from Guatemala and Mexico to strengthen cooperation on border security and economic investment, and Aides say she will also discuss vaccine exchanges during their meetings. But corruption in the region – a far more persistent challenge – will complicate their efforts.

It has already had a major impact on their work in Central America. Harris has yet to deal seriously with the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador, both of whom have been implicated in corruption scandals.

Giammattei has been criticized for corruption in his own government. Zuniga admitted the U.S. government was facing a challenge in working with him, but argued Harris was partly in the country to have a face-to-face conversation with the president on these and other issues.

“The best way to deal with these cases where you have a very complex relationship in a country like Guatemala is to speak clearly as partners, as countries that have to get along,” he said.

Harris has developed an approach that aims to create better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid. It announced plans to send $ 310 million to aid refugees and tackle food shortages, and recently secured pledges from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in the Northern Triangle countries for economic opportunity and professional education to promote.

Washington has gained quite a bit of goodwill over the past week through its vaccine diplomacy. Giammattei and López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday informing them that the US would send 500,000 doses and 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, respectively.

While in Guatemala, Harris also plans to meet community leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. In Mexico she will speak to women entrepreneurs and hold a round table with workers.

She emphasized the need to address corruption in public statements and events. At a meeting in May with a number of senior voices on the Guatemalan justice system, she highlighted her work as a prosecutor, saying that “injustice is a root cause of migration”.

“Part of the hope of giving hope to the people is to be very specific about fighting corruption in the region,” she said.

Harris has also raised the issue at virtual meetings with leaders of both countries, and Aides say she will repeat it at meetings along the way. In their past conversations, they have discussed areas of common interest – improving port security, combating smuggling networks, prosecuting corrupt actors – and the goal of this trip is to make that conversation a reality, say helpers.

While the vice president will announce new collaborative efforts and new programs, she is unlikely to announce any new assistance during her trip.

In Latin America, Harris will also have to steer immigration policy. Republicans in Congress have criticized both Biden and Harris for choosing not to visit the border, claiming the government is ignoring what they call a crisis there. April was the second busiest month on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the US-Mexico border, after hitting the all-time high in March. The total number of border patrol encounters in April rose by 3% compared to March, marking the highest level since April 2000.

Conservatives will watch Harris closely for missteps in hopes of engaging her in further controversy on what they see as a political winner.

Harris can point to a number of steps taken by the Biden administration over the past week in an effort to win pledges on corruption from the leaders of the region.

Foreign Minister Antony Blinken highlighted the problem during his own trip to Central America. The White House issued a memo making foreign corruption a major national security concern and instructing all federal agencies to prioritize it and modernize their tools to fight corruption abroad.

Eric Olson, director of politics at the Seattle International Foundation, which works to promote good governance in Central America, said that fighting corruption requires special diplomatic skills. Harris must hold the leaders of Guatemala and Mexico accountable while building trust and cooperation with the two nations.

“The challenge she faces is, on the one hand, to have a conversation, to keep the door open – and not ignore the obvious elephant in the room, namely this incredible penetration of the state by corrupt actors,” he said.

In Mexico, López Obrador continues to face a complex security situation in many parts of the country. Nearly three dozen candidates or candidates were killed ahead of the weekend’s mid-term elections as drug cartels tried to protect their interests. The government’s inability to provide security in parts of the country is of concern to the US in the immigration context, both for the people displaced by violence and for the impact on a severely weakened economy trying to break away from the Pandemic recover.

The number of Mexicans encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection increased steadily from December to April. Mexico remains a key US ally in trying to slow the immigration of not only its own citizens but also those who cross its territory. Successive US governments have effectively attempted to move their immigration enforcement objectives south to Mexico and Guatemala.

Prior to Harris’ visit, non-governmental organizations put widespread corruption in Guatemala high on their list of concerns.

Last month, two lawyers who criticize the Giammattei government were arrested on allegedly trumped-up charges aimed at silencing them.

The selection of judges for the highest constitutional court in Guatemala was marked by influence and alleged corruption. Giammattei chose his chief of staff to fill one of the five posts. When Gloria Porras, a respected force against corruption, was elected for a second term, the Giammatei’s party-controlled Congress refused to place her.

Harris’ visit brings high expectations, but experts say clear progress on corruption is hard to come by.

“These are societies built on corruption,” said Olson. “You won’t have any effect in six months.”

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Sherman reported from Mexico City. Associate Press Secretary Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report.

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