The Vice President of the United States (USA), Kamala Harris, affirmed that she seeks to have “a frank conversation” about the fight against corruption, crime and violence during her next visit to Guatemala.
Harris is scheduled to visit the Central American country between June 6 and 7, and then he will leave for Mexico, on a trip where the central theme will be immigration.
In his opinion, it is necessary “to have very frank and honest discussions about the need to address corruption, crime and violence, especially against some of the most vulnerable populations in that country.”
Harris pointed out that there are many issues on which Guatemalan authorities can support people in need of food aid, boost economic development and mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
Harris’s visit is part of US President Joe Biden’s strategy to curb irregular immigration to his country at its roots, especially since the so-called “Northern Triangle of Central America”, made up of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
According to the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 178,120 illegal immigrants who crossed the border with Mexico were arrested last April, the highest number for that month recorded since 2000.
The White House issued a memorandum recommending establishing the fight against corruption as a basic national security interest of the United States and calling for new measures to be taken to prevent and combat corruption.
“When leaders steal from the citizens of their nations or the oligarchs disobey the rule of law, economic growth slows, inequality increases and trust in government plummets,” reads the memorandum signed by Biden.
“In issuing this National Security Study memorandum, I establish the fight against corruption as a central national security interest of the United States. My Administration will lead efforts to promote good governance; bring transparency to the financial systems of the United States and the world; prevent and combat corruption at home and abroad; and they make it increasingly difficult for corrupt actors to protect their activities, ”the document reads.
With information from VOA
