Harris meets with Giammattei in Guatemala to forge agreements to curb immigration

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday on his first trip abroad since taking office, and his highest-profile meeting to date leading the Administration's efforts to address root causes. of migration.

The visit offers Harris, who has little foreign policy experience, his clearest opportunity to establish himself on the world stage, and the most public test of his ability to navigate a thorny issue that has plagued administrations of both parties for decades. .

The trip is also an opportunity for Harris to rethink his first major political assignment.

His debut leading these efforts was a bit fragile, so much so that his assistants had to struggle for weeks to clarify the scope of his role.

This left a question mark about the early days of his vice presidency.

The president of Guatemala talks about the meetings with the Biden government in the face of the migration crisis

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On his first trip abroad on this subject, he ran into difficulties of his own, as there were technical problems that forced his flight to return to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to change planes on Sunday.

Harris will be in the region for just 48 hours.

Following their meeting, Harris and Giammattei are expected to host a press conference before Harris meets with Guatemalan businessmen and community and civil society leaders.

He will travel to Mexico City to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday and attend round tables with businessmen and union leaders.

White House officials sought to lower expectations, emphasizing that such

a complex issue would not be resolved in one trip.

Mazin Alfaqih, Harris' special advisor for the Northern Triangle region of Central America, acknowledged in a call with journalists that "the US government and foreign aid alone cannot address this problem."

"There must be political will on the part of the government, but we also seek to partner with multilateral organizations, the private sector and other entities to really build a comprehensive approach," said Alfaqih.

The Northern Triangle, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, have long suffered violence and poverty as a result of the United States' intervention in Central America during the Cold War. More recently, the region has been severely affected by the climate crisis and natural disasters. Many of the challenges were compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, especially as

vaccines remain in short supply in the area.

The Biden Administration has made a number of commitments to the Northern Triangle, including a pledge to deliver thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccines, $ 4 billion in development aid, and $ 310 million for humanitarian aid, and has secured commitments. of a dozen companies and organizations in which to invest in the area to boost economic development.

But experts in the region have emphasized that

financial aid is not enough to meaningfully address the causes of migration

and that a focus on government corruption, which affects everything from human rights to the creation of stable jobs and economic conditions, it must assume a more prominent role.

"US presidents, Democrats and Republicans, in general, have viewed Central America as a series of problems and crises," said Eric Olson, policy director for the Seattle International Foundation, which works to promote good governance in Central America.

"People throw money at him, say they are going to do something, but people finally give up once the 'crisis' has passed."

Thousands of humble Guatemalans pin their hopes for a better life on Kamala Harris' visit

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"We need someone to say, 'This is the direction, this is the framework, this is what we want to do and we are committed to it for the long term,'" Olson said.

Harris has said that he believes

"injustice is a root cause of migration,"

and Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern about corruption and the state of democracy during a trip to the region this month.

Harris has also raised the issue in virtual meetings with Giammattei and López Obrador, but having conversations in person will require a different set of diplomatic skills, experts said, particularly given Giammattei's reputation for being easily offended.

"She has to convey concern about corruption, lack of transparency, weak governance and at the same time extend a hand to the Guatemalan people and government," said Andrew Selee, president of the Institute for Migration Policy.

"But she also cannot come and scold or patronize the Guatemalan government. You cannot land in someone else's country and reprimand him," he said.

Guatemala has been criticized for preventing an international anti-corruption commission from operating in the country in 2019, and has come under more recent scrutiny for harassing those linked to the commission.

López Obrador has been criticized for his frequent attacks on the media and government watchdogs, and has been accused of consolidating power in Mexico.