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‘Do not come’ to US, Harris tells would-be immigrants in Guatemala

Monday, 07 June 2021 9:54 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 07 June 2021 9:54 PM ]

US Vice President Kamala Harris participates in a roundtable with Guatemalan community and civil society leaders to continue conversations about how best to address the root causes of migration at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala in Guatemala City on June 7, 2021. / AFP / JIM WATSON

US Vice President Kamala Harris has told would-be immigrants in Guatemala not to come to the United States.

“Do not come, do not come!” she said at a news conference with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday.

“We had a robust, candid and thorough conversation,” Harris said. “The president and I discussed that fundamentally, most people do not want to leave home, they don’t want to leave the place where the language they know is spoken.”

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US Vice President Kamala Harris

US imperialist policies have been touted as the main cause for Central Americans’ struggle for decades, which has led to influx of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers mostly escaping violence in their home countries.

"I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home. At the same time I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States Mexico border: Do not come, do not come," Harris said.

The trip was her first international trip as vice president as she leads the Biden administration’s efforts to address illegal migration into the US.

“The reason I am here in Guatemala, as my first trip as vice president of the United States, is because this is one of our highest priorities,” the American Vice President claimed.

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