(NewsNation Now) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday that millions of dollars from private companies will go to Central America in an effort to stop the root causes of migration to the United States.
Monday’s announcement includes commitments of $190 million by PepsiCo and $150 million from Parkdale Mills to build a yarn spinning facility in Honduras, and an initiative of $50 million from the aid group CARE International to bolster opportunities for women and youth.
“The United States recognizes as well that it both in our interest and intrinsic in our values to help create that opportunity,” Harris said.
Closer to home, violence is spilling over the border.
A shooting took place late Sunday night at the San Ysidro border crossing near San Diego, California. A Customs and Border Protection officer discharged his firearm multiple times after a vehicle sped through screening lanes. The driver, who was not struck, was taken into custody.
In Mission, Texas, an 18-year-old smuggler with six migrants in his car ran a stop sign while fleeing police and crashed into a car, killing two innocent victims. All six people in the car were apprehended.
And in Yuma, Arizona, nearly 6,000 migrants from a myriad of countries have been entering the country for the last five days through a border gap. Venezuelan Davis Morello crossed with his daughter, saying he was told the crossing would be easier and he didn’t even have to pay a coyote or smuggler.
Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls said that the federal response to the emergency has eased the situation, but easing migration at its roots was a focus of the vice president earlier this year as she met with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.
“The president and I also discussed the root causes of migration, in particular the lack of economic opportunity for many people here in Guatemala,” Harris said in June.