White House Says Plans to Address Causes of Migration Show Results
“And I think that perhaps the best achievement of the Biden administration has been the investment in Central America has become more localized. It is more targeted, and it has become more realistic. But it has not become less political, because everybody wants results right away, and that’s not going to happen,” Ruiz Soto said.
Symptom of Larger Issues
Administration officials argue the border situation is a symptom of larger issues. Many migrants are driven to come to the U.S. seeking better economic prospects or to escape violence.
Biden officials say fewer individuals would risk the dangerous journey northward if the economic, security and political challenges in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala are addressed.
“Migration needs to be understood in context — with the number of migrants increasing globally, including from countries that have only recently become so-called migrant source countries,” a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson told VOA by email. They spoke on background, a method often used by U.S. authorities to share information with reporters without being identified.
The NSC spokesperson wrote that through the administration’s root-causes program, more than 250,000 jobs have been created in the region, and 3 million young people are being supported through education and job training.
“As a result of these investments in the region, we have seen double-digit [percentage] decrease in people from Central America who intend to migrate,” the NSC spokesperson said.
Border Numbers Fluctuate
According to an April analysis by the human rights organization Washington Office on Latin America, or WOLA, December saw the highest monthly of apprehensions at the border since 2000, but those numbers dropped by half over the next three months.
Some Republicans have criticized Harris’ Central America plan, arguing that it is ineffective or that it focuses too much on foreign aid rather than border security. They say Harris has focused too much on long-term solutions rather than the immediate border migrant flows.
Working Together
In an email to VOA, the NSC spokesperson drew attention to the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection that brought together more than 20 countries across the Western Hemisphere to cooperate on deterring irregular migration through border enforcement in the region, expanded lawful pathways, and expand new measures to address the root causes.
“We have begun building the foundation for a more competitive regional economy that will galvanize investment and create better job opportunities throughout the Americas,” the spokesperson said.
Ruiz Soto said continuity is key.
“The problem is, or at least the way that’s been implemented, is that there are differences in how the U.S. is engaging in the region across presidents,” he said.
He added that even with U.S. funding, it is not enough to try to improve the situation in these countries by itself.
As the United States seeks strategies for responding to the growing number of migrants fleeing poverty, violence and other challenges in the Central American region, Ruiz Soto said governments from the Northern Triangle countries must commit to governance based on accountability, transparency and development.
“It is fundamentally required that Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador put in more than what the U.S. does to try to increase the conditions that they have. One, in funding, but also in political assistance and political will to change the institutions,” he said.
Aline Barros is an immigration reporter for VOA’s News Center in Washington, D.C.VOA’s Tracy Wen Liu contributed to this report. This article is published courtesy of the Voice of America (VOA).
