Harris Visiting Guatemala: "Immigrants, Do Not Come to the U.S."

Photo by WP

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] On the 7th (local time), U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Guatemala, her first stop in Latin America, and told immigrants dreaming of going to the United States, "Do not come to the U.S."

According to the Washington Post (WP) and others, Vice President Harris said at a press conference held after talks with President Alejandro Giammattei in Guatemala City, "Our goal is for Guatemalans to find hope in their homeland."

She emphasized, "We must first address Guatemala's terrible economic situation and political corruption that force people to flee to the U.S."

She said, "To those considering the dangerous journey to the U.S., I clearly say 'Do not come to the U.S.' The U.S. will continue to enforce the law and protect our borders."

Unlike the hardline anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration, President Joe Biden's compassionate pro-immigration stance has led to a surge of Latin American immigrants attempting to enter the U.S., becoming a major concern for the U.S. government.

In particular, after introducing immigration reform legislation that opened a path to citizenship instead of deporting minor undocumented immigrants, the number of unaccompanied minors attempting illegal entry has soared to the highest level in 20 years. In response, President Biden has entrusted Vice President Harris with resolving the illegal immigration issue.

Vice President Harris views corruption in the three Central American countries?Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador?where the influx of immigrants to the U.S. is concentrated, as the root cause of the increase in illegal immigrants, and has decided to cooperate with these three countries to reduce the inflow to the U.S.

Choosing Latin America as her first overseas trip since taking office, Vice President Harris is scheduled to move to Mexico on the 8th to meet President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador.