The Biden administration plans to release by the end of June a list of corrupt Central American officials who may be subject to sanctions, a US special envoy told Reuters, as Washington seeks to cut back on a root cause of increased migration to the US-Mexican border.
A Texas rancher stands before a portion of the unfinished border wall that former US president Donald Trump tried to build.
Photo: AFP
Ricardo Zuniga, President Joe Biden s point man for Central America s Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, also said the administration was considering further sanctions against officials in the region for alleged graft under the Global Magnitsky Act.
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27 Apr 2021Washington, DC
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the president of Finland Monday about addressing the surge of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, a Central American region known as the Northern Triangle, an official readout of the conversation revealed.
Meanwhile, Harris has yet to speak to the Salvadoran and Honduran presidents, focusing only on Mexico and Guatemala.
President Joe Biden tapped Harris to lead his administration’s efforts to work with Mexico and Northern Triangle countries to stem the flow of migrants fueling the ongoing border crisis that has overwhelmed resources and manpower.
The U.S. vice president spoke to Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Monday.
United StatesAnalysis: Bumpy first weeks of Harrisâ immigration role show challenges of the job
Nandita Bose
5 minutes read
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on American Economic Recovery during a speech at Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S., April 19, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
When President Joe Biden entrusted Vice President Kamala Harris in March with leading U.S. diplomatic efforts to cut immigration from Mexico and Central Americaâs âNorthern Triangle,â experts described the job as both âperilousâ and a âpolitical grenade.â
The subsequent weeks have shown just how challenging the role will be as the administration seeks to defuse a crisis at the border that Republicans have used to hammer Biden.