(RepublicanInformer.com)- This week, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a multi-million-dollar investment from private corporations that the Biden administration hopes will help slow migration to the United States from Central America.
The $540 million investment will be made to the Northern Triangle in Central America. It will be in addition to the $750 million in investments from the private sector that Harris announced back in May.
Early on in his tenure in the White House, President Joe Biden tasked Harris with getting a handle on the huge surge in migrants to the U.S. southern border. The president also wanted Harris to get at the core of why so many illegal immigrants were coming to the U.S. — root causes such as corruption, poverty, natural disaster and crime that are all prominent in the Northern Triangle, where most of the migrants are coming.
But, in the months since she was appointed as the head of this initiative, little positive progress has been made in that area. In fact, the number of illegal migrants who crossing the southern border continues to reach record high numbers.
Harris visited some Central American countries over the summer to try to help reduce corruption, which is contributing to a lot of the people wanting to leave. However, those efforts haven’t led to much either.
In Guatemala, in fact, the head anti-corruption prosecutor in the country was fired by the attorney general only weeks after Harris’ visit. The vice president also never had a conversation with leaders in either El Salvador or Honduras while she was there, all because the corruption in those governments is significant.
Since then, Honduras elected a new female president, Xiomara Castro, who promised to improve the country’s economy, protect women and fight corruption.
Now, the Biden administration is hoping this increased investment from the private sector will help boost its efforts in making life better in the Northern Triangle so the people don’t try to come to the U.S. illegally.
Harris was set to publicly announce the new funding commitments at a business roundtable events with some corporate leaders. Parkdale Mills, Cargill and PepsiCo have all promised to give approximately $150 million to cover Central American projects in the next several years.
Microsoft alone is hoping to provide up to 3 million people internet access. In time, the company plans to add another million to that total, while also teaching digital skills to 100,000 people.
Other companies that are part of this new wave of money include JDE Peet’s, PriceSmart, CARE International, Grupo Mariposa, Mastercard and Nespresso.
In making the announcement, the White House said in a press release:
“Supporting the long-term development of the region, and of the Western Hemisphere more broadly, will require more than just the resources of the U.S. government. For this reason, Vice President Harris called upon the private sector to draw upon its resources and expertise to commit to support inclusive economic growth in northern Central America. The Administration looks forward to increased collaboration with private companies from around the world to build upon this Call to Action in the months and years to come.”
