In the second and final leg of his first international trip as US Vice President, Kamala Harris was in Mexico on Tuesday (8), where he continued conversations about the US immigration crisis.
“I deeply believe that we are entering a new era,” Kamala told Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as reported by reporters who followed a small part of the meeting.
Investments for the region were also part of the tour itinerary. In addition to the $ 310 million (BRL 1.56 billion) aid Kamala had already pledged to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and hurricanes that hit Central America last year, the United States United has pledged an additional $ 130 million (BRL 654.5 million) to support workers’ rights in Mexico, plus a target to create $ 250 million (BRL 1.26 billion) in investment and sales in the southern Mexico, according to a statement that he did not provide further details.
The Vice President and López Obrador witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, and the charge d’affaires of the United States Embassy in the country, John Creamer, to reduce the number of migrants from the so-called North Triangle — formed from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
The United States and Mexico also agreed to create a task force to combat human trafficking as part of the effort to curb the migration of undocumented migrants, following the task force announced by the ministry. American Justice Monday (7).
Both countries say they must tackle the causes of migration, such as poverty and violence, to stem the influx of people. Mexico detained 91,000 undocumented migrants in the first five months of the year, immigration officials said on Monday, with minors making up a fifth of the total.
According to the vice president, the meeting with the Mexican president was a “frank conversation” that focused on the root causes of migration, covering issues such as security, vaccines, the pandemic and the drug fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that can affect a thousand people. times more powerful than the heroine.
The Mexican president for his part wrote on his Twitter account that the meeting was “pleasant and beneficial” for both parties.
Kamala did not say whether he used the meeting to pressure Mexico to step up efforts to deter migrants, who often leave their Central American country for the United States, fleeing poverty. , violence and corruption.
“On the issue of border security, the work we are doing together includes the treatment of migrants in Mexico and its southern border,” said the MP after the meeting.
Kamala also countered criticism from Republicans for not visiting the border between the countries, saying he would go there.
Joe Biden’s administration has struggled to cope with the growing number of migrant families and children arriving at the border with Mexico, mostly from Central America, during America’s biggest migration crisis in 20 years. To settle the issue, sensitive to the White House, the president appointed his deputy, who left for Guatemala and Mexico for his first international trip.
López Obrador, who has forged good relations with Donald Trump despite the former president’s economic threats and migration-related slurs directed at Mexico, said his administration was keen to maintain ties with Washington.
The Biden administration sees its southern border neighbor as an important partner both in stemming the flow of migrants and in developing Central America, where relations between governments and Washington are increasingly strained.
On Monday, the vice president was in Guatemala, where she met the country’s representative, Alejandro Giammattei, and made a firm statement to those who intend to march north: “Don’t come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and protect our borders. If you come, you will be fired ”.
On the same day, the US Department of Justice announced the creation of a task force to combat human trafficking in the region. Secretary Merrick Garland said the Joint Alpha team will pool the resources of its department and the Homeland Security portfolio against the largest and most dangerous groups operating there.
According to the portfolio, the job will include federal prosecutors in Arizona, southern California, and southern and western Texas, as well as law enforcement officers and analysts from the Law Enforcement Service. Immigration and Customs (ICE) and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as the FBI (US Federal Police) and the drug enforcement agency, DEA.