Harris arrives in Guatemala to tackle migration causes

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GUATEMALA CITY — Vice President Harris took her first step onto the global stage Monday as she met with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei in an effort to revive U.S. relations with the country and tackle a daunting corruption problem.

Harris, seeking to address dire economic conditions that prompt Guatemalans to flee to the U.S., warned that the country's leaders must address corruption in a meaningful way. And she stressed that the Biden administration is not opening the border to undocumented immigrants.

"I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home," Harris said. "At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come."

Harris's comments appeared to be in part a response to critics who have suggested that the Biden administration's welcoming tone prompted the surge of migrants at the border earlier this year.

"I believe if you come to our border, you will be turned back," Harris said. "So let's discourage our friends, our neighbors, our family members from embarking on what is otherwise an extremely dangerous journey, where in large part the only people who benefit are coyotes."

Harris is visiting Guatemala, followed by a trip to Mexico on Tuesday, as part of her mission to tackle the root causes of migration from Central America's Northern Triangle countries.

Biden asked Harris in March to spearhead the administration’s efforts to address the conditions driving immigration to the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — in addition to other politically volatile issues in her portfolio, such as voting rights.

But the problems Harris is being asked to address are difficult and long-standing.

Harris gets a politically perilous assignment

Administration officials say they recognize that any government or private investment may take years or even decades to bear fruit in a region where crippling poverty, cartel-linked crime and government corruption have long nudged people toward making a perilous 2,000-mile journey to the U.S. border.

The Biden administration has pledged $310 million in humanitarian aid to the region and has a $4 billion plan to boost development there. Administration officials have also said that Harris is likely to discuss more stringent anti-corruption measures with Giammattei.

But the United States has crafted aid programs in Guatemala for years with the goal of deterring migration. There were efforts to help coffee farmers improve their yields and forestry management programs. There were vocational schools pointedly called Stay Here Centers.

Through it all, the flow of migrants continued unabated.

Since 2019, about 400,000 Guatemalans have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border — more than 2 percent of the country’s population.

After meeting with Giammattei, Harris was scheduled to take part Monday in a roundtable with Guatemalan community leaders about the root causes of migration. Next on the itinerary was a visit to a local university to see projects created by young female engineers and to talk with the women about the problems faced by female business owners.

Harris tries to move from history maker to Biden heir

Democrats widely see Harris, 56, as heir apparent to Biden, and the first female and minority vice president is a symbol of the diverse consortium that they hope will power the party in the 21st century. But Harris, who struggled to define herself during her failed presidential bid, has relatively little foreign policy experience, and this week’s trip could be a first step to addressing that.

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Republicans have sought to hammer Harris’s immigration portfolio as a weak point in the Biden administration. Prominent Republicans, some with presidential aspirations of their own, have dubbed Harris Biden’s “border czar” — a title she rejects — in an effort to ding the current administration and hobble a potential future opponent.