Kamala Harris tells Guatemalans ‘do not come’ to US, warning migrants will be turned back at border
- The US vice-president is visiting the Central American nation in a bid to address the ‘root causes’ of migration from the region
- There have already been more than 200,000 such attempts to enter the US since the start of the year
Vice-President Kamala Harris warned Central Americans not to migrate to the US and said the Biden administration would intensify efforts to combat corruption in the region, after meeting Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday.
“Do not come. Do not come,” Harris said at a news conference in Guatemala City. “If you come to our border, you will be turned back.”
Harris and Giammattei had a “very frank and very candid” conversation that included “the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary,” she said. In April, the country’s legislature – controlled by Giammattei’s party – refused to seat an anti-corruption judge, Gloria Porras, a move criticised by US officials.
Giammattei said at the news conference that there are “zero” allegations of corruption against him.
