'Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border.'
Vice President Kamala Harris discouraged would-be migrants from making the trek to the United States during her trip to Guatemala on Monday. It's her first trip abroad as vice president, and she's tasked with leading U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region to stem the flow of migrants to the southern border.
"There are legal methods by which migration can and should occur, but we, as one of our priorities, will discourage illegal migration," Harris continued. "And I believe if you come to our border, you will be turned back. So let's discourage our friends, our neighbors, our family members, from embarking on what is otherwise an extremely dangerous journey, where in large part the only people who benefit are coyotes.
For his part, the Guatemalan president, through a translator, said his government has "no interest or desire to hide anything," claiming he welcomes international accountability. "We can ... get rid of the mindset that politicians have to be corrupt just because they're politicians," Giammattei said through a translator. "It's not necessarily so.
Harris said the 500,000 vaccine doses won't cure the problem in the country, but will "make a dent." She also said she expects more funding to come in addition to the $26 million the U.S. contributed for pandemic-related assistance.
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