out next week. that's next, "mtp daily" only on msnbc. ♪♪ welcome to monday. it's "meet the press daily." we have been watching the white house national security advisor briefing. jake sullivan defended the meeting with putin saying it was not a reward for putin but rather an opportunity for biden to basically confront him on national security issues, including cyber hacking. sullivan says president biden was on the phone with ukrainian president zelensky. as the white house previews the trip, we are expecting vice president harris to hold her first press conference overseas

later this hour as the white house kicks off important summits on the world stage, with american allies and adversaries. the vice president is in guatemala meeting with the leader as part of her assignment to tackle issues driving the influx of migrants creating a crisis at the u.s./mexico border. we will take you to that when the vice president begins speaking. as you can see, it's going to be a very, very busy ten days for the white house. president biden is meeting with nato's secretary-general today. as the white house focuses on the challenges from abroad, they are facing headwinds for their agenda at home as well after joe manchin came out against his party's sweeping voting rights overhaul legislation known as hr-1. he also redoubled his opposition

to eliminating or reforming the filibuster. effectively, that puts quite a few democratic priorities on life support. voting rights, the january 6 commission, gun reform and more. here to break this down with us, shannon pettypiece from the white house, "washington post" correspondent ann garren and kerry sanders. shannon, let me start with you. we have been hearing from jake sullivan around the president's upcoming trip and particularly that meeting with vladimir putin. he gave us news there saying that the president was on the phone with the ukrainian president as essentially jake sullivan was talking. of course, having to essentially defend the fact that president biden plans to meet with vladimir putin before talking to the ukrainians. >> reporter: right. we heard andrea talking about how badly the ukrainians wanted

an in-person meeting. of course, not getting that, at least not that trip as far as the schedule seems to indicate. sullivan defending this putin meeting. there have been foreign policy experts who have said this could be a reward for putin. that this is a high stakes meeting in that it could elevate putin not just on the international stage but also domestically by seeming to put him side by side with the u.s. president. sullivan is saying it's strongly in the u.s. national security interest for president biden to sit down one on one with putin and have that sort of face-to-face meeting and that in that meeting, biden intends to lay out what the expectation for behavior from russia is and what the consequences will be from that behavior -- to that behavior if putin does not follow what the u.s. is looking for. sullivan did not outline what those consequences will be. of course, the white house said they are trying to keep a lot of

this meeting private and the negotiations behind closed doors and not play it out in the public sphere, as we often saw during the trump administration. certainly, indicating that this will be a meeting where president biden will be tough on putin. he will mince no words. administration officials expect this to be long and contentious but emphasizing that they hope there's areas where the two leaders can work together in the common interest of america, like on climate or nuclear security, for example. >> shannon, there was discussion of voting rights, because jake sullivan talked about how that's part of the u.s. value system. what was your takeaway from that? >> reporter: you know, it's interesting about how these domestic trips mesh -- these international trips mesh with domestic politics. of course, as we see this debate going on over voting rights and president biden himself calling

some of these laws at the state level assaults on democracy, and as we see congress unable to take action, it can potentially undercut the u.s.'s ability to uphold voting standards and rights around the world. that's certainly another one of these domestic factors that will keep into the international trip as well as saying how he has got a big piece of his domestic policy agenda hanging in the balance right now as he heads overseas. >> shannon, we will let you head into the briefing room. the first time 100% capacity. thanks for stepping out to bring us the latest. ann, let me go to you to button up this. i can't help but think so much of what we are hearing is president biden trying to correct for what he saw as the mistakes of the trump administration, particularly in terms of our relationships with our allies, with nato in particular.

but that, of course, touches directly on our relationship with russia and vladimir putin. >> yeah, i think you can see the whole trip through that frame. it begins with the g7, which is one of the meetings that trump famously blew up a few years ago. the message from the u.s. is we are working with our allies on vaccines and the spread of vaccines around the world. something, frankly, that biden was slow to do in the european view but is doing now. you can't really imagine what that set of conversations would be like with a president trump. it's going to be completely different. he goes to nato and the eu, also institutions that trump distrusted and biden has been working throughout his time in office so far to try to rebuild those alliances and reassure those allies that the united states is a good partner and that obviously, the capstone is putin and the clear contrast between the way this president

is dealing with putin already -- we haven't seen them side by side -- versus the way trump dealt with him, particularly their own side-by-side summit in helsinki, which you know was a disaster. >> a disaster, yes, a mild way to put it. you have covered foreign affairs from the state department, from the white house, for many years including some of the years when biden was vice president. one thing that struck me about the comments that jake sullivan was making was he said, the president is the best person to communicate his agenda to vladimir putin. we know biden has called putin a killer. he seems to say that he has a personal measure of the man. donald trump prided himself on reading people, but, of course, extraordinarily different under these circumstances. can you talk a little bit about president biden the person and what he brings to this trip

after many years of working on these issues but, of course, not as commander in chief? >> yeah. i would note that every president among the recent ones has said that they do take the measure of putin. george bush looked into his eyes and saw his soul. everybody thinks they have -- >> indeed. >> basically, nobody does. setting that aside for a minute, the rest of the trip really is a way for president biden to showcase his foreign policy experience, five decades of it. his personal relationships with some but not all of the leaders he will meet. just his fluency with the whole idea of america as a leader on the global stage but in concert with partners. i think one note of discord is likely to be over the withdrawal from afghanistan, which nato was our lockstep partner in that nearly 20-year war at u.s. request. a lot of nato allies feel like they had the rug pulled out from

under them by president biden's quick decision to withdraw. there wasn't a lot of consultation in that. >> it's a good point. what do you see as -- we touched on this with shannon. but the connections between president biden's domestic agenda and any challenges he is facing here at home with this trip? in some ways, you can see maybe a little politics in how he is handling zelensky versus putin. we saw jake sullivan talk about voting rights. there's a national security poe comment to our infrastructure as well. that's something they are trying to hash out right now. >> yeah. this always happens, as shannon made that point. whatever is happening at home follows the president overseas. i would not be at all surprised to see president biden get questions about infrastructure and joe manchin while he is in a couple of foreign capitals. he will -- the president will

try to keep the public focused on the allies. this is really his first time to showcase himself on the world stage and will try to leave a lot of that -- a lot of domestic politics at home. >> for sure. stand by with me for one second. i want to go to kerry sanders who has been patiently waiting on the ground in guatemala city. thank you so much for being here. walk us through the vice president's trip to that region. as the president, of course, is heading off on this stage, kamala harris has been tasked with taking the lead on the crisis at the border. she's going to do that by taking her first foreign trip to the northern triangle region. what's on her agenda and schedule? what have you heard so far being down there? >> reporter: right now, vice president kamala harris is wrapping up a meeting with the president of guatemala.

they are getting ready to, i believe, hold a news conference in a short period of time. they are trying to figure out whether the united states can help not only guatemala but honduras and el salvador, the northern triangle, to solve the problem of this incredible flow of people -- we're not just talking about migrants. we are talking about children. children who had come in unprecedented numbers. last month, it's estimated between 22 to 25,000 children made their way to the u.s. southern border. it's perhaps useful to listen to one of the children who is in the process of making his way north from honduras. let's listen. you did not tell your mother? where do you want to wind up in the end? to the united states? why there? he wants to leave the poverty in

honduras. when you get to the united states, if you get there, what is your plan? to study and to work. what would you do with the money you earn in the united states? you will send it to your family in honduras? are you going to make it? a little boy, 12 years old, who says that he thinks he is going to make it. remember, at that age, he wants to come to the united states to work and then send money back to his family. that is the crisis that the united states along with the countries down in this region have to address. it's not an easy one, as children are taking it upon themselves to head north. eric didn't tell his mother he was leaving. >> that was difficult to watch. have you seen any signs as you have been down there of any of

the aid that the biden administration has promised to send to these countries to try to help families like his? >> reporter: kamala harris comes with the promise of vaccines. 1% of the population is estimated to be vaccinated. that will be an immediate process. there has been the state department efforts in this country for some time, even back during the trump administration. as we know the trump administration, did cut back on the type of aid. through usaid, there are folks who come to the country as contractors, paid through usaid and they work with companies here to help them understand how to improve their business. in the process of improving their business, it's determined that if they have a bank account and they have a job, they are probably not going to leave. i think perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of business solving problems here has nothing to do with government money coming in.

it's coffee companies. the one we know best, starbucks. starbucks works with the farmers here who grow premium beans. there is no corruption in the process because there is no government process in terms of getting the beans out of the country. since there's a fair market value paid pledged by starbucks to these farmers, it's incumbent upon them to not only grow but to stay here. on top of that, we had horrible hurricanes last year, both category 4. there happens to be a climate change problem happening here. most of the crops are off about 50%. it's not an easy thing to make up with crops and growing. nonetheless, if you have a job here and money is flowing to you, why would you leave? >> just further proof that this refugee crisis we see across the globe, but specifically on our southern border, it's going to be a tough one to solve.

thank you both very much for being with us. kerry, don't go too far. we expect the vice president's remarks to begin in 20 minutes or so. we will bring them to you live. as the vice president works to confront the causes of the crisis at the border, i will speak to someone trying to con confront this at home. new doubts over whether the vaccination goal can be met as we inch closer to the 4th of july and cases among adolescents are on the rise. a's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be re-made. not all plastic is the same. we're carefully designing our bottles to be one hundred percent recyclable, including the caps. they're collected and separated from other plastics, so they can be turned back into material that we use to make new bottles. that completes the circle, and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back.

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when you're born and raised in san francisco, you grow up wanting to make a difference. that's why, at recology, we're proud to be 100% employee owned with local workers as diverse as san francisco. we built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america but we couldn't do it without you. thank you, san francisco. gracias, san francisco. -thank you. -[ speaks native language ] let's keep making a differene together. welcome back. as we mentioned, vice president harris' trip to guatemala and mexico is part of her effort to address the root causes of migration. the key focus for administration and congress. joining me is raul ruiz, the chair of the congressional hispanic caucus. great to see you.

as i was listening to kerry sanders talk to the child, the 12-year-old child trying to make his way from honduras to the united states, talking about how he wanted to send money back, and then on top of that, the climate change and how that's limiting even further opportunities on the ground in these countries, i couldn't help but wonder, does vice president harris have an impossible task here? >> she is the right person at the right time with the right task. she has a track record of showing results. i have no doubt, full confidence she's the right leader to tackle this. it's heartbreaking to hear the stories of young people fleeing poverty, violence, food insecurity and wanting to help their family. >> congressman, you met with vice president harris not that long ago.

can you take us inside that meeting? what are the main questions you have? what are you urging the administration to do as they try to tackle this problem? >> first, we are very, very excited and proud that the administration is taking a professional, humane and very smart approach to addressing the border issues and the humanitarian crisis. in going after the root cause. as a doctor, if you just treat the symptoms, you will never get at the cure. if we can go into the countries and figure out why they are leaving and act on that, that will help future administrations. because we know that these massive migrations are -- happen regardless who is president. we talked about the poverty. we talked about the food insecurity. we talked about the climate change and the increase in hurricanes that are demolishing

the agriculture. we talked about the corruption and the human rights violations. people are leaving out of desperation. they would prefer to stay home. we talked about solutions. she's already -- she has a plethora of successes in bringing in the private sector to hold governments accountable and bringing economic opportunity, to make sure our investments are going to the people to bring hope to a people that have lost hope and that are leaving from despair. she's talking about making sure we have the economic development through the non-profit and taking in vaccines to help people stay safe in those communities so if people have hope, they would rather stay in their home country and take care of the families and be with each other. >> congressman, how long do you think it's going to take for these investments to bear fruit? >> it's not an easy fix.

it's not going to happen overnight. it's going to take years. the problem is that we are starting from such a lower point than we should have because of president trump's policies on hate, fear, intimidation, cruel family separations and de-funding all those programs that were meant to assist those countries. we have to rebuild from a terrible position and institute those programs, for example, allowing the children to seek asylum in their country instead of taking the dangerous trek forward. we have to go after the drug cartels that are abusing the system in human trafficking. we have to start from scratch. it's going to take time. this is the right approach. if we stick to it, then we're going to see massive decreases in the mass caravans coming to the north.

>> i want to turn to politics. there's this postmortem out on what happens in 2020. it's a warning that latino voters, black voters, others may not stick with the party. there was evidence that potentially their support was being taken for granted in 2020. what's your take on that report? do you think that democrats need to do some work to shore up support, especially with latino voters? >> i absolutely believe there's more that we need to do. these communiies have been historically marginalized. they don't have opportunities that other more affluent communities have. we have seen it during the pandemic. it increases your risk of dying during a pandemic, of getting infected and dying from a public health disease. now we see the low vaccination

rate in those communities as well. however, the election is sort of a wake-up call, in a sense. the vast majority of new voter turnout that was record breaking and latinos voted for president biden and will vote democratic. but there was an increase in those that voted republican, specifically for president trump. given the small numbers to begin with, that increase is a larger percentage than the large record breaking turnout that latinos and african-americans came out for president trump. nevertheless, it's good opportunity to make sure that we provide childcare for our mothers to go back to work, that we provide educational opportunities for our children and we get immigration reform done once and for all.

>> congressman, thank you so much for being with us today. we really appreciate your time. we are waiting for the vice president's remarks to begin. when they do, we will bring them to you live. coming up next, democrats are at odds with republicans and with one of their own, as they try to push through president biden's ambitious legislative agenda. (vo) nobody builds 5g like verizon builds 5g. thousands of engineers taking peak performance to a new level. that's why in parts of many major cities where people can use massive capacity we added verizon 5g ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. nice. it isn't just a step forward, it's a leap forward. because the more you do with 5g, the more your network matters. it's us pushing us. it's verizon vs. verizon.

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welcome back. the senate is back in town this week. democrats are kicking off what they hope is going to be a big month for many of their legislative priorities. on the seemingly never ending back and forth on infrastructure, president biden is expected to speak with west virginia republican senator shelley moore-capito, despite seemingly little progress, those negotiations are ongoing. at the same time, bipartisan senators that includes the other senator from west virginia, democrat joe manchin, are working on their own proposal. manchin is making it clear he is not willing to support democrats going it alone on infrastructure at this point. there is still hope for a deal. the same cannot be said for voting rights where manchin is making it clear once again that he won't support the house passed for the people act, writing this weekend, quote, voting an election reform done in a partisan manner will ensure partisan divisions continue to deepen. joining me is political analyst

cornell belcher and matt gorman. cornell, there are a lot of democrats who got up this morning angry at joe manchin. we are hearing. at stake is this voting rights legislation. i'm not surprised this is where he came down on this. it seems like a lot of people are. what do you think the repercussions are of this decision by manchin? >> i am not sure what the repercussions are. the people are trying to figure that out. i do think there's fair criticism of senator manchin. most of us can respect the larger principal that senator manchin is trying to fight for, this idea of bipartisanship and working across lines. it's disconnected for many of us from the reality of who mitch mcconnell is and who he has been for over a decade.

his ideal the people who are on full assault on our democracy and our voting rights, the idea that we can't move on voting rights until the people who see their political best interests in denying the right to vote to millions of americans, those people are going to lay down their arms and join democrats in passing voting rights act, which they are in full assault on, i think it's fair to criticize that it's unrealistic and suspect of the motives here, because it seems ridiculous on the very face of it. i think that's problematic. the truth of the matter is, i don't think there's a lot that senators can do, to your point. the senate is an odd place. one senator, two senators as we have seen time and time again, can hold up the will of the majority in a way that is

unfair. i understand what he is trying to do. i think criticism of him right now is really fair. >> an odd place, indeed. matt, speaking of such a place, this bill, the for the people act, has been incredibly fraught with emotion from both the republicans and democrats. we saw mcconnell and schumer sitting across from each other at a hearing about it, a very rare sight. this is something mcconnell has been singularly focused on attempting to stop. what do you make of manchin's decision here in the broader context where we still have a lot of republicans who -- at least a few republicans who aren't even willing to acknowledge that joe biden won the election, i'm thinking of ron johnson? >> for the most part, this shouldn't come as a shock to most people. manchin has been consistent. he doesn't support the for the

people act. he would be open to the john lewis voting rights act, which lisa murkowski has signalled support in. also, it's important to remember that joe manchin is never alone with this. there's always two, three, four, five more democrats behind the scenes who also feel the same way as manchin, but use manchin as a heat shield to deflect some of the attention. it benefits them both. i think both sides realize the stakes of this. democrats put this on the floor knowing manchin wouldn't surprise it and want to use it for messaging. we have been through this before. if you remember in 2013 with red cruz -- with ted cruz. you convince your voters you can get it done. >> if you are chuck schumer --

>> i have to jump in on this. >> go ahead. >> one thing here is that i have to push back on. what's happening in these states, sort of going after the rights of people to vote, democrats -- that's not a messaging. it's literally -- historically, life and death around our right to vote. i would quibble with the idea that democrats are doing this for messaging. this is not about messaging. this is literally about trying to secure the rights to vote. i get that people have -- >> i take your point, cornell. but doesn't it become a messaging bill if you know you don't have the votes and if you are chuck schumer you put it on the floor anyway? >> you have to try to put things on the floor and force a vote. that's how it works. i do strongly disagree the democrats are doing this for messaging. this is about something bigger and larger than politics and messaging. this is the right for people who look like me to vote throughout this country. >> fair and very important

point. matt, circle back to what you said about other democrats behind joe manchin. that's a good analogy, that he is a heat shield for some of the people. if schumer does put this on the floor for messaging or for the moral and value-based reasons that cornell lays out, doesn't that put those democrats that are being protected by joe manchin in a tricky position? >> absolutely. i think that was a miscalculation by schumer. you don't put a bill on the floor unless you have votes. you put sinema and others at risk if you make them vote on something which they might not support or might not be willing to support. it's a miscalculation by schumer. say what you want about mitch mcconnell, this would not be happening to republicans if mitch mcconnell was majority leader. >> cornell, what say you on

this? you have made clear you think it's important they do this not just for messaging reasons but there are consequences for some members of the senate. do you think it's worth it to put this on the floor? >> it's not a 50/50 proposition. americans support these bills. >> i mean the senate is split 50/50. >> yeah. >> any seat that they lose over something like this -- >> again, my point is this, it's not a 50/50 proposition in real america with actual voters. my point is this, that in fact, when you look at the support for these bills, it is in their political interest to vote for these bills. it's in the like we are putting something on the floor that's vastly unpopular. where are they unpopular? they are not in the general elector electorate. even our own polling shows that. these are not unpopular bills. it is in their political interest to support things that

are politically popular with voters. >> of course, this particular issue, while the most critical in the minds of so many, is just one for which that's true. gun reform is another one where you have support among the public and yet it's stymied in the u.s. senate. cornell, thank you for being here, for jumping in. i appreciate it. our thanks to matt as well. coming up next, more and more parents are sending their children over the u.s./mexico border alone. their heartbreaking stoies make it clear how difficult it is. we will bring you the vice president's press conference from guatemala as soon as it happens.

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welcome back. we are expecting to hear from vice president harris and the president of guatemala in just a

few minutes, after they met this morning to address the migrant crisis and corruption. the biden white house has made immigration reform a top priority. president biden ended the child separation policy but undoing some of those policies and allowing unaccompanied minors to stay in the u.s. is adding to the crisis. gabe gutierrez joins me from the border in texas. gabe, what's the latest there? the changes in policies have led to more children being sent over the border by themselves in just a really difficult, horrible choice for the parents. >> reporter: that's right. the biden administration has said they want a more humane approach to immigration. many people view it that way. what's happening -- we have spoken to many migrant families

on this side and in mexico. some of the parents say they are making that choice to separate from their children and send them over the border alone because they know allowed to stay in the united states. behind me is a texas national guard vehicle. we saw groups of migrants being picked up here, processed by border patrol agents. throughout this weekend, we have seen an incredible number of migrants coming over the river in roma, texas, as well as here in la jolla. the rio grande is right over there. there are about 700 or so unaccompanied minor children in custody. in hhs custody, the next step in this, there are more than 16,000

at this point. certainly, vice president harris, that's some of what she is dealing with now as she heads to guatemala and then mexico. there is controversy because she's not heading here to the border. some of her critics have said she should visit here. it's a very challenging situation. on the one hand, you have parents -- migrant patien paren making that decision to send their kids alone. others are being fed misinformation by human smugglers that are telling them the border is open. that's not the case. the immigration -- some are calling it a crisis. whether you call it a crisis or not, depending on what end of the political spectrum you are on, it's a nightly ritual here. law enforcement agents see the increasing number of migrant families crossing the u.s. border. >> a difficult time for those children as well. gabe, thanks very much for that reporting.

joining me now is the executive director of care in action. she's the co-chair of the families belong together campaign that fights against migrant family separation. jess, thank you so much for with us to share your perspective today. i'm hoping you could tell us, what's your perspective on some of the recent changes that the biden administration has made to how they handle migrants crossing the border? >> listen, first and foremost, it's the opposite of what the trump administration was doing, which is critical. the trump administration did everything they could to do anything to end migration as we know it. big steps for the biden administration early making it priority and reducing those policies. however, it's going to take a while for the biden administration to unwind the policies. in the meantime, it's been a little bumpy. if you talk to many of my colleagues at the border, they

will tell you not much has changed. because of the pandemic, that made things difficult. we are seeing slow but study-- steady progress. >> jess, forgive me if i have to cut you off, because we are waiting on the vice president. we will go to that. let's continue this conversation. gabe has been reporting on the idea of self-separation. families deciding that that's the best thing for their children. obviously, i understand the point that it's so different from forced family separation. they are making the decision to do this. what can we as a country do to keep the families together? what changes should be made

whether it's working with mexico to try and come up with some more humane way to deal with them before they cross or here in the united states? >> the vice president is looking to address root causes, which is a massive change in immigration policy, even from the obama administration, and is the way we make sure we address the push factor, what makes people want to migrate and come to the united states. that includes economic development, aid, disaster relief, things she has taken as challenges and she's tackling and making progress on. i applaud the biden administration for that and vice president harris in particular. the next step is this choice that families are making is not outside of our immigration policy. title 42, which makes it so that people cannot come in because of the pandemic and is being

applied as an old trump and stephen miller policy into the biden administration is the reason for the uptick in accompanied -- unaccompanied minors on the border. there's basically a loophole in title 42 that means that children won't get deported. until the biden administration end deportations and also ends title 42, we will continue to see this happen. that isn't the choice of any parent. that's a result of our immigration policy. >> let's talk about vice president harris for a second. do you think she's the right person to tackle this issue for the biden administration? >> i do think it's pretty historic and significant that the child of immigrants, first black, first south-asian woman, is going to represent us in guatemala today. i would really kill to be a fly on that wall. i think that vice president harris also has some really unique things in her past that

make her uniquely qualified for this, including her work as attorney general in california, taking on transnational criminal organizations, which is a key part of addressing root causes in the region. not only that, i know her as the sponsor of or domestic worker bill of rights to be somebody who centers the experiences of impacted people and wants to do everything she can to help. those are probably the most essential criteria i can think of for someone, not only that, anyone who has seen her in a senate hearing knows she can really put the screws on somebody and handle some tough negotiations. i think this is going to be her chance to shine, which is important. >> again, we are waiting for vice president harris to come out and speak here after her meeting with the guatemalan president. i think we can listen in to the president of guatemala who is speaking ahead of the american vice president, kamala harris.

>> translator: their companies can establish businesses in our country to create more employment and, thus, stop migration. i just wish to say to you, madam vice president, that it was an honor to have you with us today. i take your word that you are going to come back. and we will go together to visit those areas where we need development and with your cooperation starting on ground zero we can begin to further strengthen the relationship between guatemala and the united states. and we can move forward mile after mile until we can turn this country into a country of opportunity where people wish to stay. particularly, where the hope of staying is realistic, because they can find a better future, and that will be the foundation for them not to need to pie

migrate. thank you very much for being with us, madam vice president. now we will listen to her excellency. >> thank you for warmly welcoming me and excelleny, vice president kamala harris from the biden administration. >> thank you for listening to me. we had a robust, candid and a thorough conversation for many issues that are priorities for each of our countries. the president and i discussed a fundamental belief that most people don't want to leave home. they don't want to leave the place where they grew up, where the language they know is spoken, where their culture that they know is present and has been, in this case, for centuries. most people don't want to leave where their grandmother lives. and when they do, it's usually one of two reasons.

because they are fleeing some type of harm or because to stay means they cannot provide for their essential needs and the needs of their family. the president and i share a firm belief that our power of hope, the ability that each of our governments has to give people a sense that help is on the way. to let them know that they are seen, that they are heard, that we see their capacity, but we also understand their challenges and their need for to restore the resources that any human being needs to be able to survive, much less thrive. that was fundamentally the spirit behind the conversation

that we had. and as i mentioned, mr. president, i believe that our world is interconnected and interdependent, and certainly the most recent issues that have plagued our globe, including the pandemic, have made that point clear. our world is interconnected and interdependent. therefore, what happens abroad is of priority to the united states of america. and that is why i am in guatemala today. and that is why president joe biden will travel to europe later this week. we are renewing our relationships around the globe and our presence around the world. in fact, just last week, i shared with the president that the united states will provide, as a first donation, 500,000 vaccines to guatemala. again, understanding the

interdependence, a connection between us and the importance of looking out for and prioritizing the needs of one's neighbor. i am proud to report that the agreements between president jean matea and i have made today will support the people of guatemala and the people of the united states. before i get to questions, i want to highlight several of those agreements. first, security is probably one of the more important issues. president biden is i made the commitment to control our borders. we also discussed the human trafficking and drugs that have crossed those borders, undermining the security of guatemala and the people of the

united states. we have collaborated on these issues, and we will create a smuggling and human trafficking task force which will work with local law enforcement to stop these crimes. and i have personally worked on these cases in my career and can say that when we see some of the most vulnerable in our communities being taken advantage of, being sold for profit, being abused, it should be a priority for all of us who care about the human condition and humanity. second, on economic development, the president and i also discussed the root causes of migration. in particular, the lack of economic opportunity for many people here in guatemala. the united states recognizes that it is both in our interest and reflective of our values to help create that opportunity and

to share in economic prosperity. we will launch a young women's empowerment initiative to increase education and economic opportunities for girls and women, understanding here in guatemala, there is a rich tradition of girls and women being a part of the culture and the economy with extraordinary skills. and, therefore, the ability to thrive when seen as someone who can be the source of investment for the economic growth of the entire community. we will also invest in agri business and affordable housing and supporting entrepreneurs. president jean matea has mentioned many times today and in previous conversations about his priority around what can happen with the planting of trees and what that can mean in terms of ecology and our

environment. recently there's been a lot of talk about ecopreneurs, entrepreneurs who are focused on climate, focused on what could happen if we protect our environment but also jobs with economic development and a connection with that pursuit. i will also continue to work with ceos around the world to encourage investment in guatemala, and, mr. president, i look forward to working with you on that. as i shared with you in washington, d.c., i recently convened some of our biggest ceos who have a profound interest for many reasons on supporting the work that happens here and the work that can happen here in guatemala to, again, uplift folks who may have been overlooked or neglected but also uplift the natural capacity and resources of this beautiful country. which brings me to our third area of discussion and agreement. the president and i discussed

the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary. the united states will create an anti-corruption task force, the first of its kind. our justice department, our treasury department and our state department will work together to conduct investigations and train local law enforcement to conduct their own. our task force will support guatemalan prosecutors, including listening, no corruption on the borders. we understand this is about international crime. we have to follow the money and we have to stop it, and that's what we intend to do. i can tell you from my work on this issue years ago, follow the money. the underlying reason for so much of what we are seeing in terms of this level and type of corruption is about profit.

it is about profit without concern for the damage it creates to real human life, to families, to children, to communities. and i want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help guatemalans find hope at home. at the same time, i want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the united states/mexico border. do not come. do not come. the united states will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border. there are legal methods by which migration can and should occur. but we, as one of our priorities, will discourage illegal migration. and i believe, if you come to

our border, you will be turned back. so let's discourage our friends, our neighbors, our family members from embarking on what is otherwise an extremely dangerous journey wherein large part the only people who benefit are coyotes. and let us do our work together, mr. president, again, with our mutual commitment of knowing that hope is on the way. and i believe the actions we take together will improve the lives of guatemalans, and as i meet with guatemalan community members and leaders throughout this day, i will speak with them on what more can be done. again, mr. president, i want to thank you for such a productive conversation, for your role of leadership and for the work we have yet to do together. thank you.

>> and now we leave room for questions and answers. ms. hilary senders and guatemalan president will give the floor to the media. >> thank you. our first question will come from alex jaffey from the associated press. >> thank you both for taking questions. madam vice president, you just spoke about this. you've spoken about this in the past, the need to combat direction of root causes of migration. but given president jean matea's record on the issue, his corruption to reformers in the nation, has he given you any commitments that he will not try to interfere in