2 billion in corporate pledges aimed at addressing some of the economic factors driving migration from Central America, her office said on Tuesday , lending impetus to measures to be discussed at the Summit of the Americas this week.
The corporate pledges form a major part of Biden's plan to address"root causes" of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a region known as the Northern Triangle. Curbing irregular migration is a top priority for Biden at a time when record numbers of people are trying to enter the United States at the Mexican border.
Biden, who travels to Los Angeles on Wednesday to open the summit with a policy speech, will promote a new economic"partnership" for the Western Hemisphere building on existing trade agreements, US officials said. He also plans to preview a"declaration" on migration to be announced on Friday that officials say will include specific commitments from leaders to address the problem.
Several thousand migrants, many from Venezuela, set off from southern Mexico on Monday on a journey to the United States border timed to coincide with the summit. Harris, in a speech in Los Angeles on Tuesday, said the US$3.2 billion investment would have"direct impact on the quality of life" for millions of people in the Northern Triangle.