The U.S. government has agreed to train Guatemalan border agents as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to further militarize Central American borders and make it more difficult for asylum seekers to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. will reportedly send over a dozen Homeland Security agents to Guatemala. This isn’t the first time U.S. authorities have been deployed to Guatemala to train local law enforcement. The offer came during a virtual meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “And we want to work with you to address both the acute causes as well as the root causes, in a way that will bring hope to the people of Guatemala that there will be an opportunity for them if they stay at home.”

Central American and immigrant justice advocates have widely condemned more U.S. intervention in the region, saying U.S. foreign policies have exacerbated poverty, violence and other root causes of why people have to flee in the first place.