U.S. vice president to meet Guatemalan leaders on immigration, anti-corruption

Washington —

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo on Monday as the United States grapples with an influx of migrants at the southern border, thousands of them from the Central American country.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the Biden administration’s use of so-called “secure mobility offices,” which were set up in Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador in the fall, among other immigration issues. The Office of Safe Mobility aims to streamline the U.S. refugee process so immigrants can apply locally and avoid paying smugglers to travel north.

As the 2024 election heats up, immigration has become a growing issue of concern for both parties. Democrats and Republicans in Congress say the system is broken, but lawmakers’ efforts to fix the problems have failed.Meanwhile, President Joe Biden tasked Harris with working to address the reasons why people choose to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States

Harris and Arevalo will also discuss Arevalo’s anti-corruption agenda and how the United States can support that effort, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Arevalo narrowly won the presidential election in August, defeating establishment candidates. The son of a former president, he is credited with implementing some of Guatemala’s key labor protections, but his strong performance in a crowded field remains alarming.

The politician with a background in academia and conflict resolution has made waves with his message of challenging the country’s entrenched power structures and reviving the fight against corruption.

The Democratic vice president is also expected to announce $5.2 billion in investments in Central America.

While still the lowest monthly arrest count of Biden’s presidency, the number of people arrested for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in February rose slightly from the previous month to 189,922. Of those, 23,780 were Guatemalans.