Kamala Harris Calls for Migration Effort with Mexico

Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, said on Friday that America and Mexico must work together to reduce immigration issues from Mexico by addressing corruption and violence in Central America. She also appealed during virtual immigration dialogues with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the President of Mexico.

The vice president told the Mexican president that it was in the top interests of both nations to tackle the root causes of immigration from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, which made a region in Central America named the Northern Triangle. At the start of the meeting, Harris said that together, they must combat violence, impunity, and corruption in the region.

I met virtually today with President @lopezobrador_. We agreed to work together to establish a strategic partnership to address root causes of migration, spur economic development, and expand security cooperation. I told the President I look forward to visiting Mexico on June 8. pic.twitter.com/djZBlAQXiV

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 7, 2021

It is in the mutual interest of both countries to provide instant relief to the Northern Triangle and deal with the actual causes of immigration. The Mexican President said his nation agreed with the immigration policies you are developing and going to help. Symone Sanders, the spokesman of Harris, stated after the meeting that both leaders settled to establish a strategic partnership to handle economic underdevelopment and other essential factors that cause immigration from the Northern Triangle.

Several Challenges to Face

The statement from the spokesperson said that through the joint initiative, Mexico and America would force their resources and expertise to address different challenges, including limited market access, unemployment, and disforestation, as well as regional uncertainty because of climate change. Joe Biden, the United States President, tasked the vice president with leading the White House effort to control immigration at the southern American border, through which over twenty thousand unaccompanied children entered the country since January.

Kamala Harris said that many people do not want to leave their homes, and when they do, it is common because they are escaping some harm, living difficulties, or someone forced them to leave because there are no opportunities. During the press conference, Mexican President told reporters before Friday’s meeting that he would also discuss with the U.S. vice president a tree-planting tasks program in Central America that he said might help residents get work visas in America.

Lopez Obrador initially mentioned the proposal at a Washington climate conference last month. After the Friday meeting, the president said that the proposal is in the best interests of both countries based on historical, political, and friendly relations. Sometimes both nations face differences, but they are temporal. Whereas they have a common border of more than three thousand kilometers long, and both of them need to understand each other.

Republic of Guatemala Trip

On Wednesday, Harris said that she would visit Guatemala and Mexico on 7th and 8th June to search for solutions to the migration challenge, her primarily trip as vice president. Before Friday’s meeting, the Mexican President told reporters that the government of the United States violated the sovereignty of Mexico by approving funding to an anti-corruption firm that criticized his administration. He accused Mexicans Against Corruption & Impunity, the anti-corruption group, which investigates political corruption, of trying to destabilize his government.