VP Kamala Harris Says She Will Visit Guatemala and Mexico, Not Southern Border

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Vice President Kamala Harris said that she plans to visit Guatemala and Mexico, but not the southern border of the United States, as part of President Joe Biden’s charge for her to work on the root causes of migration from Central America.

On Wednesday, VP Harris spoke to reporters at the beginning of a virtual roundtable with experts on the Northern Triangle, during which she was asked about traveling to the border.

“Madam Vice President, will you visit the southern border. Do you have a trip planned? Will you plan one in the future if the situation with migration doesn’t resolve itself?” Harris was asked.

“So, as I mentioned to the experts, the President has asked Secretary Mayorkas to address what is going on at the border,” Harris explained, and added “I have been asked to lead the issue of dealing with root causes in the Northern Triangle, similar to what then-Vice President did many years ago.”

During the Trump administration, aid to the Central American countries of the Northern Triangle — was cut significantly in response to the large number of migrants coming to the U.S. from that region, and later restored.

The veep cautioned that “these are issues that are not going to be addressed overnight,” and concluded her response by saying that “I’m looking forward to traveling, hopefully, as my first trip, to the Northern Triangle — stopping in Mexico and then going to Guatemala sometime soon.”

Reporters and Republican politicians have been pressuring both the president and the vice president for weeks to travel to the border, and to the region.