Harris meets Guatemalan leader

Members of the media work as a screen shows an image of Harris and Giammattei, in Guatemala City.

The Biden administration is expected to announce steps to combat human smuggling and corruption in Guatemala as US Vice-President Kamala Harris visited for talks with President Alejandro Giammattei yesterday. The visit is Harris’s first overseas trip as vice-president and is part of her mission of tackling root causes of migration from Central America to the United States. Speaking briefly at the start of the meeting with Giammattei, Harris said that her presence in Guatemala reflects Biden’s focus on re-establishing ties with allies around the world. The decision to visit Guatemala was “a reflection of the priority President Biden placed on this region”, she said. Guatemala is seen as Washington’s most stable ally in the “Northern Triangle” that also includes neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador. “It is in our collective interest that we work together,” Harris said. However, disagreement is likely over the best way to tackle corruption, with the US giving recognition to anti-graft fighters the conservative government and its allies see as politically biased. The Biden administration push to strengthen the rule of law in all three countries has already suffered setbacks, with a series of moves against independent judges and prosecutors.