WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris pledged more than $300 million in additional humanitarian aid for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in an effort to stem a wave of migration from those countries to the U.S.
Harris discussed the funding in a Monday meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, according to a senior administration official. The virtual meeting lasted roughly an hour, the official said, and came before a June trip by Harris to the country.
The two leaders discussed the need for long-term economic growth to create jobs and stem the flow of migrants to the U.S., which has caused an early political crisis for President Joe Biden. Harris has been tapped to lead the diplomatic response to the migration crisis by engaging with Central American governments.
Biden has said that the U.S. must address so-called “root causes” of migration such as poverty and violence in Central America to solve the problem.
Congressional Republicans as well as former President Donald Trump say Biden’s reversal of Trump’s hard-line immigration policies encouraged more border crossings, a charge the administration rejects.
