US VP Harris, Guatemala's Arevalo talk immigration at White House

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Guatemala's president, Bernardo Arevalo, at the White House on Monday to bolster his fledgling government and discuss how to reduce migration from Central America.

Harris's meeting underscores U.S. support for the new, reform-minded president, whose inauguration was delayed in January by opponents seeking to weaken his authority.

At the start of their meeting, Harris said the U.S. "was proud to stand with you, Mr. President, following a free and fair election and throughout your transition," adding that the "will of the people of Guatemala, by our observation, has triumphed."

Immigration has become a hot button issue in President Joe Biden's and Harris's 2024 re-election campaign, with Republicans charging the administration with mishandling spikes in numbers of new immigrants crossing the U.S. border.

The White House accuses Republicans, led by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, with torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have tightened border enforcement.

Republicans labeled Harris a failed "border czar" after Biden charged her with spearheading efforts to address the causes of migration from countries in Central America that have contributed to the increase in immigrant inflows.

Harris and Arevalo discussed how the United States can support Guatemala's corruption fight, strengthen human rights, and boost the economy.

"I view this as a historic moment in relations between our two countries, which share basic values and common interests and confront many joint challenges," Arevalo said as they met.

They discussed Arevalo's outreach to indigenous people and the prioritization of efforts to reduce what the official called "irregular migration" to the United States.

Harris announced $1 billion in new financial commitments from companies that are part of a public-private partnership program to invest in Central America, bringing the total to more than $5.2 billion since May 2021. They include a commitment by Meta to train young people and small business owners in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

She also "commended Guatemala’s support for other democracies around the world," the White House said in a statement about the meeting, without giving details.

Guatemala is one of the few countries that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason.Editing by Alistair Bell and Heather Timmons and Miral Fahmy)