OAN’s Brooke Mallory
11:47 AM – Monday, March 25, 2024
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala are scheduled to meet on Monday, amid the United States’ efforts to manage the influx of migrants arriving at its Southern border who are attempting to illegally cross over from Central America.
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Along with other immigration-related issues, the two leaders are anticipated to talk about the usage of the Biden administration’s so-called “safe mobility offices,” which were established in Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador last fall.
Safe Mobility Offices are intended to expedite the U.S. refugee application process, allowing foreigners to apply from their current location and circumventing the need to pay smugglers to go north.
Bipartisan worries over immigration are growing as the 2024 election draws near. Congress members of both parties agree that Biden’s current system is heavily flawed, but their attempts to fix it have been ineffective. President Joe Biden has given Harris the duty of addressing the factors that influence people’s decisions to migrate to the United States from their native countries.
According to a White House official who previewed the discussions on condition of anonymity, Harris and Arévalo will also discuss Arévalo’s “anti-corruption strategy” and how the United States could support the effort.
In August, Arévalo easily defeated the establishment candidate to win the presidency. With a platform that challenged the nation’s entrenched power structure and renewed the battle against corruption, the politician with a background in academia and conflict resolution gained a lot of traction.
It is anticipated that Harris will declare investments in Central America totaling $5.2 billion.
The number of people arrested for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border increased to 189,922 in February, although it is still one of the lowest monthly totals under President Biden. 23,780 of these illegals were reportedly from Guatemala.
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