Following a Biden administration statement that next month set a record for migrant encounters at the U.S. southern border, Vice President Kamala Harris and Guatemala’s leader met on Monday to discuss “legal processes” to migration.
According to White House sources, Harris and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo did examine efforts by both countries to reduce illegal immigration to the United States.
The couple is expected to focus on expanding “legal processes” to migration, including the use of” healthy freedom offices”. Last month, the headquarters were distributed throughout Central America to give immigrants access to legal choices for resettlement and employment. They have been cast as a vital part of the administration’s border method, which officials describe as increasing” consequences” for unlawful entry while expanding legal channels and tackling “root factors” of the migration crisis.
NEW FEBRUARY RECORD HIGH FOR MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER
As part of the much- balleyhooed campaign to tackle underlying causes of illegal immigration, Harris, who was tasked in 2021 with leading the president’s political engagement on the topic, is set to proclaim$ 1 billion in private industry commitments to invest in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. It brings the total amount committed to Harris ‘” Call to Action” to more than$ 5 billion. Her efforts have led Harris to been dubbed the “border king” by Republicans, but it is a brand the administration has rejected.
According to the White House, those assets have brought in more than 70, 000 new jobs, provided teaching for more than a million people, and connected more than 4.5 million people to the internet.
During their meeting on Monday, Harris is also set to explore the application of Arevalo’s plan and ways the U. S. can help Guatemala’s efforts to tackle corruption, promote economic development and contain indigenous people in the political process. After defeating the establishment candidate by a landslide, Arevalo won the presidency in August. He has promised to fight the country’s established power structure and tackle corruption.
His conversation with Harris about immigration comes at a strange moment, one that comes after Customs and Border Protection revealed that migrant encounters in February were at a new high for the month.
There were 189, 922 migrant encounters along the border in February 2024, an increase of more than 30, 000 from the 156, 000 encounters in February 2023. The previous February record was 166, 010 in 2022.
Despite the administration’s recommendation to increase the use of the CBP One app to schedule appointments at ports of entry, illegal immigrant encounters between ports of entry actually decreased from the total for February 2022, which is partially attributed to the administration’s encouraging trend.  ,
The southern border encounters decreased from a previous low of 302, 000 in December to 176, 204 in January, which suggests there may be a significant increase in the spring and summer months.
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According to various polls, illegal immigration has been a top concern for voters and will likely continue to do so in the upcoming November elections. President Biden has urged Congress to pass changes and increase funding, including through a bipartisan Senate package that was proposed earlier this year. Republicans have argued that Biden should not receive a similar package and should instead reinstate the policies that his administration reversed during the Trump era.
This report was written by The Associated Press.  ,
