Vice President Kamala Harris will have a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in May to discuss the economy and migration, the White House said Saturday.

"On May 7, Vice President Kamala Harris will meet virtually with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who will be joined by Secretary of Foreign Relations Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon and Secretary of Economy Tatiana Clouthier Carrillo," the vice president's spokeswoman Symone Sanders said in a statement.

"This meeting will deepen the partnership between our countries to achieve the common goals of prosperity, good governance, and addressing the root causes of migration."

Harris has been tasked with spearheading President Joe Biden's bid to resolve the long-running problem of uncontrolled migration over the US-Mexican border.

US Vice President Kamala Harris (pictured April 23, 2021) has been tasked with spearheading President Joe Biden's bid to resolve the long-running problem of uncontrolled migration over the US-Mexican border
US Vice President Kamala Harris (pictured April 23, 2021) has been tasked with spearheading President Joe Biden's bid to resolve the long-running problem of uncontrolled migration over the US-Mexican border AFP / SAUL LOEB

She will meet virtually with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei next week to discuss the migrant surge, and will visit Central America in June.

The schedule raises the profile of Harris on one of the toughest-to-resolve issues facing the new Biden administration.

Unlike Republican Donald Trump, who emphasized physically stopping would-be immigrants from crossing the border, Biden and Harris have pledged to help regional governments address the poverty and violence driving people to make the difficult journey north in the first place.