Matt Bush, FISM News
Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced seven new commitments as part of a previous “Call to Action” she made on May 27 to improve conditions in Central America. The Biden administration asked Harris to develop a migration strategy, and to date that strategy has been to raise money for Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to tackle “deep-seated” motives for migration.
According to the White House, those seven new commitments come from, “CARE International, Cargill, Grupo Mariposa, Parkdale Mills, PepsiCo, JDE Peet’s, and PriceSmart” and – along with the previous commitments from Mastercard, Microsoft, and Nespresso – constitute $1.2 billion in infrastructure investment for the region.
In July, senior administration officials laid out five goals for improving conditions in Central America. Those five goals were:
- Bettering economic prospects.
- Rooting out corruption.
- Promoting human rights, labor rights, and a free press.
- Preventing gang violence.
- Combating sexual, gender-based and domestic violence.
The idea behind these goals is that if the condition of the countries that many migrants are leaving are improved, there will be less reason to leave in the first place. To accomplish these goals, Harris has looked to the private sector for funds, but has been slow to announce how these funds would be used.
According to the AP, Vice President Harris admitted that “efforts to address root causes of migration from three Central American countries won’t produce immediate results.” Harris also said, “The United States alone cannot tackle deep-seated motives for people to leave Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, including corruption, violence and poverty” and that local governments, along with U.S. allies, would have to join the push.
The current plan avoids deadlines and speaks to issues related to working with the governments in the region without laying out the process by which this will be achieved. A senior White House official told CNN, “investments from private companies and federal government are being monitored extremely closely at the direction of Harris, to limit corruption and waste.”
The same official said, “We’ve also been very clear with the governments: in order to make these work, you’re going to have to implement certain elements of reform. Whether that’s on the tax regulation, whether it’s how shipping has been done, but there are a variety of things that we’ve said, ‘Look, if you want to maximize the benefit here and you want other foreign companies to follow these, here are the steps that need to be taken.’”
While the quote hints at the idea of fighting corruption and helping to ensure that the funds make it to the right place, no “steps” are laid out to make it happen. As an Axios article states, “In a region strife with corruption, violence and weak governance, it’s unclear whether the cash infusion will translate into stronger democratic institutions.”
The announcement on Monday came amidst turmoil in the Harris camp.
One source told Axios, “Burnout, better opportunities and concern about being permanently branded a “Harris person” is driving some of the turnover in Vice President Kamala Harris’s office.”
Harris has been under increased political and management scrutiny since taking office, with Republicans attacking her for failing to visit the southern border for months after being tasked with handling the immigration problem.