The task of leading the Biden administration’s efforts to stem migration following the record number of migrants this year falls on Vice President Kamala Harris. This week, Harris introduced the strategy to tackle the root causes of migration.
On Thursday, Harris unveiled the strategy the administration will be taking towards addressing the root causes of migration. The White House released a one-page letter from Harris, including a fact sheet referring to previous statements that show support for short-term relief for migration pressures while maintaining attention on long-term motivations that lead to people leaving their home countries.
Harris noted that these efforts will not produce immediate results and that the US cannot address these root causes alone. Migrants from the Northern Triangle of Central American countries – Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador – have been showing up at the southern border in record numbers since US President Joe Biden and Harris took office in January. Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and the United Nations have also joined in the efforts to stem migration, according to Harris, who did not elaborate further.
“We will build on what works, and we will pivot away from what does not work,” said Harris in the letter. “It will not be easy, and progress will not be instantaneous, but we are committed to getting it right.”
Harris also touched on her visit to Guatemala, where she said that one of the biggest issues the country faces is corruption. A few days prior, on Tuesday, the US State Department has suspended cooperation with the Guatemalan Attorney General’s office after it dismissed the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor.
Previously, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Harris will be visiting the country. Phuc made the comment during the visit of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the country, saying that he looked forward to meeting with Harris.
Austin is the first Biden administration official to visit Vietnam even in the midst of a pandemic and days after the US brought three million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam. Austin’s visit also signals that the US is looking to strengthen ties with Vietnam, especially in the midst of tensions with China over the South China Sea.