"The fate of the people in the United States, is more intertwined than ever with our neighbors in Central America," Blinken said during remarks in Costa Rica on Tuesday. "To effectively confront the biggest challenges we face, like COVID-19, like the climate crisis, like immigration, like corruption, regional cooperation is more important than ever."
Blinken said democracy and human rights are undermined in many parts of Central America, adding that President Joe Biden is planning to provide $4 billion in US investments into the region to help stabilize the area.
Asked whether the United States plans to share coronavirus vaccines with Costa Rica, Blinken said the Biden administration will rollout within two weeks its plan to determine which countries will receive a share of the 80 million vaccine doses made available to the global community.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Central American governments to do more to help contain illegal immigration and voiced concerns about the health of local democracy and human rights during a visit to the region on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking at a joint news conference with Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado, Blinken said the United States wanted to hear from its partners in the region about their shared commitment to managing migratory pressures.
"Good governance is crucial for confronting the challenges and seizing the opportunities of this moment, and yet we meet at a moment when democracy and human rights are being undermined in many parts of the region," Blinken told reporters.
Blinken cited erosion of judicial independence, crackdowns on independent media and NGOs, as well as the suppression of anti-corruption efforts to illustrate his point, noting that the United States had also suffered its own setbacks.
U.S. President Joe Biden has been under pressure to reduce a sharp increase in undocumented immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office in January.