U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is on a three-day visit to Central America to prevent immigrants from flowing into the United States.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris began a three-day diplomatic tour of the Northern Triangle on Monday, focusing on preventing Immigration to the U.S..

In a joint press conference with President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Harris emphasized the need to restore hope for residents of the three most emigrated countries, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, in response The problem of increasing numbers.

“Hope itself does not exist, it must be combined with relationships and trust,” Harris said at a joint press conference with Giammattei. She said: “In terms of what we do as leaders, it must be combined with tangible results to convince people that there is reason to be hopeful about their future and the future of their children.”

The administration of US President Joe Biden, who took office in January, faces blockade The number of immigrants has surged Fleeing poverty and corruption from Central America.

President of Guatemala Alejandro Jamate speaks during a meeting with U.S. Vice President Camara Harris [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

During the visit, officials are expected to announce measures to combat human trafficking, smuggling and corruption in Guatemala. Harris also plans to meet with civil society leaders and entrepreneurs, and then fly to Mexico, where she will meet with President Andres Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday.

Prior to Harris’s visit, NGOs listed the widespread corruption in Guatemala as their top concern. Last month, two lawyers who bluntly criticized the Jamatah government were arrested for allegedly fabricating allegations aimed at shutting them up.

William Lawrence, professor of international relations at the American University in Washington, DC, said that the United States hopes to find a way to stop immigration in the short term and resolve the structural problems that cause people to seek immigration to the United States.

Lawrence told Al Jazeera: “You have to deal with border issues at the same time-despite the surge, there are still some improvements-and the systemic problems that have caused so many immigrants to go to the border.”

In order to address the “root cause” of immigration, the Biden administration pledged a US$4 billion plan to promote the development and US$310 million in humanitarian assistance.

Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo reported in Tecun Uman, which borders Guatemala and Mexico, that US assistance and funding for projects in the region and Guatemala In particular, it is not new. It will be the responsibility of the state to make meaningful progress on the issue of corruption.

When U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with Guatemala President Alejandro Gamatai in Guatemala City, the military police guarded the periphery of the National Palace of Culture [Sandra Sebastian/Reuters]

“Ultimately, it depends on the Guatemalan government. Foreign aid will not be lost due to corruption,” Rapallo said, adding that without structural reforms, “no amount of foreign aid will prevent people from fleeing the north.”

Harris will also discuss sharing the COVID-19 vaccine with Guatemala as a batch 25 million remaining vaccines With other countries.

Last week, Giammattei stated that the United States will provide Guatemala with 500,000 doses of COVID-19.

Shortly before meeting Jamata Harris, Harris stated that her visit showed that the Biden administration is focused on rebuilding relations with allies around the world and “reflects President Biden’s importance to the region.”

“It is in our collective interest to work together,” Harris said.