Harris Releases Strategy To Tackle Root Causes of Central American Migration

Vice President Kamala Harris released a strategy on Thursday to address the root causes of the rise in migrants coming into the U.S. from Latin America.

In a letter discussing her plan, Harris, who was assigned to lead diplomatic efforts on immigration after taking office, said that the motives for migration from Central America, such as corruption, violence and poverty, which were made worse by the pandemic and extreme weather, needed to be addressed, and the United States could not act alone.

“In Central America, the root causes of migration run deep — and migration from the region has a direct impact on the United States,” Harris wrote in a letter discussing the plan. “For that reason, our nation must consistently engage with the region to address the hardships that cause people to leave Central America and come to our border.”

Harris stated she had received commitments from the governments of Mexico, Japan and South Korea, as well as the United States, to help partner with the U.S. in providing relief to those seeking to migrate from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, but didn't reveal what the commitments were.

Thus far, the plan appears to involve short-term relief when natural disasters become a root cause for migration, and it will continue looking into the long-term motivations for people to leave these countries.

“We will build on what works, and we will pivot away from what does not work,” Harris wrote. “It will not be easy, and progress will not be instantaneous, but we are committed to getting it right.”

U.S. border authorities reported record numbers of arrivals at the Mexican border in June, with more migrants arriving in families. This trend is continuing in July.

According to Customs and Border Protection, 34 percent of all the migrants encountered in June had tried at least one more time to enter the country in the past 12 months. The number of new migrants to arrive at the southern border since October is just slightly lower than the last surge in 2019 during the Trump administration, the agency told the New York Times.