Harris says U.S. is taking new steps to address root causes of migration from Guatemala

Vice President Kamala Harris and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.
(Image credit: Johan Ordonez/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Monday that the United States is coming up with new ways to try to combat the root causes of migration from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, including creating a task force to fight human trafficking and working with private companies to get them to invest in the region.

Harris made her remarks in Guatemala City, during her first trip abroad as vice president. Appearing at a joint press conference with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, Harris, who is leading the Biden administration's efforts to address migration from the region, said the U.S. Treasury, State, and Justice Departments will join forces to train Guatemalan law enforcement officers and support prosecutors tackling corruption. Another priority for the U.S., she added, is to "discourage illegal migration. And I believe if you come to our border you will be turned back. Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.