US Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday night that the country will send an additional $ 310 million to Central America “for humanitarian aid and to address food insecurity.”
Of this, US $ 255 million will go to humanitarian aid and US $ 55 million will go to address food insecurity in the region.
“In light of the dire situation and acute suffering faced by millions of people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Vice President Harris announced an additional US $ 310 million in support from the United States government,” indicates a fact sheet published by the White House.
Kamala Harris: Have hope, stay and don’t emigrate 0:44
Harris was chosen by President Joe Biden last month to lead the efforts in Central America in the context of the arrival of a growing number of immigrants, many of whom are from the region, to the southern border of the United States who have exhausted government resources.
Crisis in Central America
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a dramatic toll in Latin America as COVID-19 cases and deaths have skyrocketed and several economies that were once projected to grow have been decimated. The region was also affected by two devastating hurricanes.
Declining economic growth in 2020, according to the Congressional Research Service, is projected to worsen income inequality and poverty in the region.
Monday’s announcement comes hours after Harris met virtually with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.
Vice President Kamala Harris had a virtual meeting Monday with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei (on screen). (Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images)
According to a statement by Harris spokeswoman Symone Sanders, the two leaders “committed to strengthening bilateral efforts to manage migration in an orderly and humane manner in accordance with national and international laws, agreed on the need to establish orderly and legal channels. for migrants and agreed on the importance of generating economic opportunities in the region that benefit both countries.
Republican criticism
Republicans have already used Harris’s assignment to paint her as the face of the problem and have questioned her not visiting the border. Some of the harshest criticism led the White House to make clear multiple times that the vice president’s role is limited to diplomatic efforts to stem the flow of migrants, and not to the entire problem.
Harris: We are going to travel to Guatemala and Mexico very soon.