No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCentral AmericaHarris says US will focus on aid to Central American farmers

Harris says US will focus on aid to Central American farmers

Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday the US government will focus on helping Central American farmers affected by climate change in an effort to address a root cause of migration.

Harris has been tasked with spearheading President Joe Biden’s bid to resolve the long-running problem of uncontrolled migration over the US-Mexican border.

The US department of agriculture “is going to increase our focus and our resources around helping farmers in that region who have been devastated by crisis in terms of climate and drought,” Harris told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Harris pointed to climate change as one of the root causes of the migration surge, due to extreme weather conditions such as drought devastating the Central American agricultural industry.

“A residual point is not only about the economic devastation and what we need to do to assist with economic development and relief, but it’s also they’ve got extreme hunger there and food insecurity,” Harris said.

“If parents and children cannot literally eat, if they cannot have the basic essential things that everyone needs to live, of course they’re going to flee.”

Harris will meet virtually with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday and with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on May 7.

She also confirmed to CNN she intends to travel to Central America to meet with the two leaders in person.

“We’re working on the plan to get there. We have to deal with Covid issues, but I can’t get there soon enough in terms of personally getting there,” she said.

The schedule raises the profile of Harris on one of the toughest-to-resolve issues facing the new Biden administration.

Unlike Republican Donald Trump, who emphasized physically stopping would-be immigrants from crossing the border, Biden and Harris have pledged to help regional governments address the poverty and violence driving people to make the difficult journey north in the first place.



Trending Now

Massive Cocaine Seizure at Costa Rica’s Moín Terminal Targets UK

Costa Rican police intercepted 810 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment at the Moín Container Terminal in Limón headed for the United...

Costa Rica Fails to Meet Human Rights Standards for Deportees

The Ombudsman's Office has confirmed that Costa Rica was unprepared to provide adequate care for deportees who have entered the country since February. This...

Venezuelan Migrants Describe Torture After Deportation to El Salvador

“You’re going to rot in here. You’ll spend 300 years in prison.” That’s what Maikel Olivera says guards repeatedly told him during his four-month...

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas After Controversial Exit from Newell’s

Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas is officially the newest player for Pumas UNAM, but his move from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys has been anything...

Cosby Show Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies in Costa Rica Drowning Accident

Malcolm-Jamal Warner passed away at 54 from an accidental drowning. He gained fame as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," playing the son in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica