Harris meets with Mexican president amid criticism over migrant remarks, lack of border visit

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday was meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as part of a two-day tour to the region to tackle what the Biden administration describes as the "root causes" of the crisis at the southern border -- as she faces criticism for failing to visit the border and remarks a day earlier on illegal migration.

While critics have blamed the recent crisis at the border on the Biden rollback of key Trump-era policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and border wall construction, the administration has instead pointed to root causes in Central America like poverty, an economic downturn and climate change. Included in the agreements were a number of elements apparently designed to combat those root causes and other contributing factors, including a $130 million U.S. investment in Mexican workers’ protections and labor reform.