US Vice President Says She Will Visit Guatemala, Mexico June 7-8

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2021) US Vice President Kamala Harris said on that she she is scheduled to travel to Guatemala and Mexico at the beginning of June.

"Currently, the plan is for me to travel to Mexico and Guatemala June 7 and 8," Harris told reporters during roundtable discussion in Providence, Rhode Island on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden recently tasked Harris with handling the surge of migrants to the United States passing through the US border with Mexico.

Since Biden assumed office in January, migrants predominantly from the North Triangle countries - Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras - have flocked to the United States hopeful for relaxed entry and immigration procedures in stark contrast to the practices by the Trump administration.

US Customs and Border Protection data revealed that US border apprehensions soared by more than 70 percent in March. The 172,331 migrant encounters recorded represents the highest monthly total in more than two decades, with the Biden administration on pace to top the previous annual record set in 2019 of over 977,000 apprehensions.

Biden and other administration officials have emphasized that the surge is just a seasonal fluctuation.