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Jurors found a powerful US senator guilty on all counts of corruption on Tuesday after gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash were found at his home, prosecutors said, sparking calls for his resignation.Robert Menendez, a 70-year-old Democrat from New Jersey, was charged with extortion, obstruction of justice and accepting bribes to perform favours for businessmen and will be sentenced on October 29.Menendez has vowed to appeal the verdict.A spokesman for the Southern District of New York prosecutor’s office said the total combined charges carry a maximum potential sentence of 222 years in prison. The counts on which Menendez was convicted after less than three days of jury deliberations included conspiracy to commit bribery, acting as a foreign agent while a public official, and obstruction of justice.Menendez said outside court: “I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent.”Menendez, who said in June he would run as an independent in November’s election, is a career politician and led the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee until the charges were filed. He remains a sitting senator.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a fellow Democrat, called on Menendez to step down. “In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer said.Menendez shook his head from side to side as the verdict was read out, CNN reported.Prosecutors have alleged Menendez put his power as a top US senator “up for sale”. “This wasn’t politics as usual. This was politics for profit. And now that the jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end,” US Attorney Damian Williams, a prosecutor, said outside court.In a raid on Menendez’s New Jersey home, FBI agents were said to have found nearly $500,000 in cash hidden around the house, as well as gold bars worth around $150,000 and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible.His wife Nadine Menendez, to whom defence lawyers are seeking to shift the blame, has also been charged but will be tried separately as she is receiving treatment for breast cancer.Menendez was convicted alongside two of the businessmen he allegedly helped — Egyptian-American Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, a real estate developer.A third businessman, insurance broker Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in March and assisted investigators.

US Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted for allegedly accepting close to $600,000 in bribes in two schemes meant to benefit an Azerbaijani state-owned energy company and an unnamed bank based in Mexico, court papers showed.The federal indictment, returned by a grand jury in Texas on Tuesday and unsealed on Friday, said the bribes were laundered through sham consulting contracts into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, the Democratic congressman’s wife, from December 2014 through at least November 2021.In exchange, it says Henry Cuellar sought to use his public position to influence US foreign policy in Azerbaijan’s favour and to pressure US government officials to help the Mexican bank lobby against anti-money laundering enforcement policies and payday lending regulations that threatened its business.Before the charges were unsealed, Cuellar issued a statement denying the allegations.“Both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” said Cuellar.One of the most conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives, Cuellar is seeking an 11th two-year term in the November 5 election. He represents a Texas district that borders Mexico and includes Laredo and parts of San Antonio.The 54-page indictment identifies the bank only as “Foreign Bank-1,” a Mexico City-based institution that conducts payday lending in the US and is part of a Mexican finance and retail holding company that also owns a Mexican media company.That appears to match Grupo Salinas, a sprawling conglomerate controlled by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas, whose business empire includes Banco Azteca. The indictment also provides identifying details of a bank executive who appears to match a recently retired Banco Azteca executive.“Right now, we don’t have information about this,” Grupo Salinas executive Luciano Pascoe told Reuters by email in response to a request for comment.Cuellar will step down as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee while the case is pending, said a spokesperson for Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Laredo were searched by federal law enforcement in January 2022, when Cuellar served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus.In that capacity, he and several other members of Congress signed a letter urging Congress to provide humanitarian support to assist people displaced following the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.The indictment cites Cuellar’s support for providing funding to Azerbaijan and a pro-Azerbaijan speech he gave on the House floor, among other actions.Cuellar said in his statement he had sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee and a national law firm.“We requested a meeting with the Washington, DC prosecutors to explain the facts and they refused to discuss the case with us or to hear our side,” he added.The Justice Department said Cuellar and his wife made initial appearances before a federal magistrate judge in Houston on Friday. They were released on bond.Each faces 14 counts on charges including conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud, being a public official acting as an agent of a foreign principal, and money laundering.Several of the charges carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.Cuellar is not the only member of Congress facing federal charges.Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is awaiting trial on corruption charges in New York, while Republican George Santos last year was expelled from the House while he awaits trial on charges of violating campaign finance laws.Both Menendez and Santos deny wrongdoing.

Federal prosecutors have charged powerful US Senator Robert Menendez with bribery and extortion, saying gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash had been found at the high-ranking Democrat’s home.In one of several allegations, the Justice Department said Menendez had provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government in order to help an Egyptian-American businessman protect his monopoly.It was the second corruption indictment in eight years against the veteran New Jersey politician, 69, and may place into question his hold on his seat in Congress and the Democratic Party’s slim majority in the Senate.Hours after the indictment Menendez stepped down “temporarily” as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, a position that had given him significant influence over US foreign relations.“The senator and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for Senator Menendez using his power and influence to protect and to enrich those businessmen and to benefit the government of Egypt,” said Damian Williams, the federal prosecutor for the Manhattan, New York district.In a statement, Menendez called the allegations “baseless” and characterised the indictment as a personal attack on him and his wife Nadine Menendez, who was also indicted.“They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office,” Menendez said.Calls for his resignation even came from fellow Democrats, with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy saying the charges were “deeply disturbing.”“The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation,” he said in a statement.But Menendez was defiant in a statement issued Friday evening: “It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”Prosecutors said they found more than a half-million dollars in cash in Menendez’s New Jersey home and in his wife’s safe deposit box, allegedly received from three New Jersey businessmen seeking his help.Much of the cash was stuffed in envelopes and boxes and hidden around their home, some tucked into jackets bearing his name.Gold bars worth around $150,000 and a luxury Mercedes-Benz convertible, gifted by one of the businessmen, were also found.Prosecutors said they had evidence showing that around the time he and his wife received the gold bars, Menendez searched Google to find out how much they were worth.Menendez took the money to help protect two of the businessmen from Justice Department investigations, and to help the third, Egyptian-American Wael Hana, with a business monopoly granted to him by the Egyptian government, the indictment said.“Among other actions, Menendez provided sensitive US Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” it said.Menendez, his wife, Hana and the two other businessmen, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, were charged with two counts of bribery and fraud.Menendez and his wife were also charged with extortion.If found guilty, the most serious of the charges can bring up to 20 years in prison.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that Menendez “has been a dedicated public servant.”“He has a right to due process and a fair trial,” Schumer said.A senator since 2006 and before that a member of the House of Representatives for 14 years, Menendez has been a Democratic stalwart in Congress for three decades.In his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been a fierce opponent of normalising relations with the Castro regime in Cuba.He also opposed authoritarian regimes like Venezuela and China, stymied arms deals with Turkiye, and strongly supported Israel.In 2015, he was charged with accepting bribes of private flights, luxury vacations and over $750,000 in illegal campaign donations.But the charges were dismissed three years later after a deadlocked jury could not reach a verdict in the case. He comes up for re-election to the Senate next year, and it was not immediately clear how the new indictment would affect his once-impenetrable standing with New Jersey voters.“To my supporters, friends and the community at large, I ask that you recall the other times the prosecutors got it wrong and that you reserve judgement,” Menendez said.Democrats head into the 2024 elections with a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Adviser to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majed bin Mohamed al-Ansari affirmed Tuesday that Doha's hosting of the Second Quintet Meeting on Lebanon comes within Doha's keenness to improve the political and economic situation in Lebanon, and permanently stand by the brotherly Lebanese people in all junctures they have passed, stressing that such a support will remain persistent in the upcoming period.During the media brief held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr al-Ansari pointed out that such a meeting came by virtue of the efforts and communications made by the Qatari officials with their Lebanese counterparts and the numerous shared visits and meetings with stakeholders, noting that the Qatari support to Lebanon has been continuing since the very founding of the relations between the two countries, emphasising that this support will not stop.He distinguished between the humanitarian aid and economic aid that Lebanon needs today, which requires the presence of a president and a government with a candid political mandate.He pointed out that Qatar had contributed to supporting the Lebanese army with $60mn during the past years, and 70 tonnes of foodstuffs, per month, for one year from July 2021 to July 2022, in addition to the support Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) had provided to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health in 2022, as His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani pledged to support Lebanon with $50mn in 2020 in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion.Dr al-Ansari stressed that the meeting of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US and France represents a vital opportunity to elucidate how International consensus on Lebanon is made, especially that such nations constitute pillars in handling the Lebanese policy, and subsequently the nations' officials wanted to affirm that there is a consensus on handling the Lebanese crisis, as they pledge to continue supporting Lebanon upon its exit from its current constitutional crisis. He outlined that, as a result of the second meeting, a first joint statement has been issued that calls for the solution to this crisis to be purely Lebanese and shall be made through consensus, while the role of the international community is the affirmative pressure in order for the Lebanese parties to achieve the people's aspirations, followed by the economic reforms required by Lebanon in conformity with its international obligations. He pointed out that the gathered nations indicated that the continuation of support to Lebanon hinges upon election of the president and selection of the government.Dr. Majed Al Ansari outlined that the joint statement conveyed a general warning message to Lebanese parties to never hamper these efforts due to their direct impact on Lebanon's future, prosperity, and stability, emphasizing the persistent support for Lebanon once a consensus is attained. However, the statement did not specify a deadline to carry out these reforms, such as electing a president and forming a government, because the situation is still complex.Regarding the situation in Sudan, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the State of Qatar's welcome to the final statement of Sudan's Neighboring Countries Summit that was convened in Cairo, considering it a vital step within the regional and international endeavors aimed at stopping the fighting there through dialogue and peaceful means. He added that the State of Qatar supported the summit's outcomes through a statement, along with all international and regional efforts to end the combat situation there, expressing its hope for reaching a comprehensive agreement and permanent peace that achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Sudanese people to stability, development, and prosperity.Advisor to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari discussed the activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the past week the chief of which are the meetings of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the sisterly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Dr. Ayman Al-Safadi, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, the French Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian, in addition to His Excellency's meeting with the National Security Advisor in the US of America Jake Sullivan, the Chairman of US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Menendez, as well as Qatar's participation in the third meeting between GCC states and Russia, the urgent debate of the 53rd session of Human Rights Council in Geneva on countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.He also highlighted that the Political Consultation Committee between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Qatar and Egypt held its second meeting in Doha, as well as the signing of a joint statement between the State of Qatar and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to establish diplomatic relations.

The Chairman of United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Senator Bob Menendez applauded the great accomplishments and successes achieved by the State of Qatar in supporting human rights, modernizing labor market laws and legislations, and protecting workers' rights.His Excellency underlined Qatar's excellence in making a distinctive edition of the World Cup (FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022), which is characterized by security, safety, a friendly spirit and a large gathering from all over the world to celebrate and enjoy the spirit of loving generosity and Arab hospitality.In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Senator Bob Menendez underlined: "Qatar has come a long way in the development of labor rights and it took care of the people inside it, which helped in running a successful world cup. I think a lot of progresses are taking place."Menendez added: "I am happy that Qatar has been able to be the first country in the region to host this event, and Qatar has worked really hard to ensure that everyone coming to Qatar enjoy the games and enjoy the hospitality by its people"."It is nice to see the global community coming to enjoy the games here in Qatar, we have seen games that are free from any bad actions, we saw the players respect each other, and we saw fans respect each other, and I think we have seen what the world can be like," Menendez added.The game has rules, and everyone has to obey the rules, he stressed, calling on all people around the world to pay a visit to Doha and see how welcoming it is. "When one come to Qatar, he has the experience to say Wow!" he said, noting that visiting Qatar gives the opportunity to enjoy the culture and hospitality while feeling totally welcome and secure."My short visit to Doha was joyful and I saw that the global community came to Qatar and were well received and well respected. That is the best thing that should happen around the world," he said.Menendez spoke about the bilateral ties that connect the United States of America and the State of Qatar that are based on international cooperation to find solutions for conflicts in some parts of the world.Menendez said: "Under the leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, we have dramatically improved the relationship between the United States and the State of Qatar. We are thankful for Qatar, for hosting our airbase here, and we appreciate that Qatar helped us in the evacuation in Afghanistan, and it played a major role regarding this."Menendez appreciated Qatar's cooperation with the United States in many issues in other parts of the world, noting that Qatar is an ally and a reliable partner of the United States.Commending Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup, Senator Menendez stressed: "Qatar has brought the global community together as one, in my time here I saw great achievements of justice and security, and I saw the spirit of the Qataris who welcomed guests."On the malicious campaigns against Qatar by some foreign media, Menendez said:" I think it is good to highlight what is positive about the games. There should be some criticism, that is a nature of hosting any global event. I think after the end of that Qatar will be stronger than before, they will stand up to the criticism, they will respond, and the most important here is not what the press says, but what everyone coming to Qatar has of experience".

The UN Security Council meets Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, with Washington vowing to hold Moscow to account as it works with Nato allies to beef up sanctions should Russia invade its neighbor. Fears of an imminent incursion have grown in recent days, despite denials from Moscow and pleas from Ukraine's president to avoid stirring "panic" over the massive Russian military build-up on the border. The United States and Britain on Sunday flagged new and "devastating" economic sanctions against Russia, as Washington and its allies step up efforts to deter any invasion of Ukraine. With tensions soaring, the United States said it was prepared to push back against any "disinformation" Moscow put forward in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched United Nations sessions in years. Russia on Monday is likely to try to block the 15-member council from holding its US-requested meeting, "but the Security Council is unified. Our voices are unified in calling for the Russians to explain themselves," Washington's UN envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield told ABC News. "We're going to go in the room prepared to listen to them, but we're not going to be distracted by their propaganda," she said Sunday. "And we're going to be prepared to respond to any disinformation that they attempt to spread during this meeting." Amid a flurry of diplomatic contacts, US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told CBS a proposal on security issues presented last week by the US and NATO to Russia may have stirred interest in Moscow. The proposal includes the likelihood of new talks this week between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, meanwhile, took a tough stance, saying it was crucial Washington send a powerful message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that any aggression against Ukraine would come at a very high cost. "We cannot have a Munich moment again," Senator Bob Menendez said on CNN. "Putin will not stop with Ukraine." He indicated some penalties could be levied over actions Russia has already taken in Ukraine, including cyberattacks, but there would be "devastating sanctions that ultimately would crush Russia" should Moscow invade. Nuland said the White House was working closely with the Senate, and that any sanctions measures would be "very well-aligned" with those coming from European allies. Putin "will feel it acutely," she said. In London, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Britain would unveil sanctions legislation targeting "a much wider variety" of Russian economic targets. "There will be nowhere to hide for Putin's oligarchs," Truss told Sky News. Analysts say an array of sanctions hitting Russian banks and financial institutions would not only affect daily life throughout Russia but could roil major economies in Europe and elsewhere. Western leaders are pursuing a two-pronged approach, stepping up military assistance to Ukraine but also undertaking a full-court diplomatic effort to defuse the crisis. Britain is preparing to offer NATO a "major" deployment of troops, weapons, warships and jets, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday. At the same time, he is expected to speak with Putin next week. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday welcomed the increased military support while also endorsing London's diplomatic initiative. Canada on Sunday announced the temporary repatriation of all non-essential employees from its Kyiv embassy. And its defense minister, Anita Anand, said Canadian forces in Ukraine were protectively being moved west of the Dnieper river. Relations between Russia and the West are at their lowest point since the Cold War. But Russia has repeatedly denied posing a threat to the one-time Soviet republic and said Sunday it wanted "respectful" relations with the United States. "We want good, equal, mutually respectful relations with the United States, like with every country in the world," Foreign Minister Lavrov told Russian TV. Citing NATO's presence near its border, Russia has put forward security demands to Washington and the US-led military alliance. They include a guarantee that NATO will not admit new members, in particular Ukraine, and that the United States will not establish new military bases in ex-Soviet countries. In the face of the Russian build-up, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the West to tone down the rhetoric. That plea, from a country also eager for Western support -- particularly since Moscow seized Crimea in 2014 and began fueling a deadly separatist conflict in the country's east -- has raised eyebrows in Washington. Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova tried to reassure Americans Sunday, telling CBS that Ukraine was "grateful for the United States," but that after eight years of living with a constant threat from Russia, "we cannot afford to panic." Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Russia in a tweet to pull back its forces and "continue diplomatic engagement" if it is "serious" about de-escalating tensions.

Europe needs to diversify its energy supplies, the head of Nato said yesterday, as Britain warned it was “highly likely” that Russia, the continent’s biggest natural gas supplier, was looking to invade Ukraine. Russia has massed some 120,000 troops near its neighbour and demanded the western defence alliance pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar Ukraine, a former Soviet state, from ever joining the Western defence alliance. US officials said on Saturday Russia’s military buildup had been expanded to include supplies to treat casualties of any conflict. Across the border in Ukraine, locals trained as army reservists as the government scrambled to prepare. In a sign of the tensions, Canada said yesterday it was temporarily withdrawing non-essential personnel from its embassy in Ukraine but added that the embassy would remain open. The United States, which has threatened Russia with major new sanctions if it invades Ukraine, has said it is waiting to hear back from Moscow. It says Nato will not withdraw from eastern Europe or bar Ukraine from joining Nato, but it is prepared to discuss topics such as arms control and confidence-building measures. US senators are very close to agreeing on sanctions legislation, the two leading lawmakers working on the bill said yesterday. Measures include targeting the most significant Russian banks and Russian sovereign debt as well as offering more lethal assistance to Ukraine. Some of the sanctions in the bill could take effect before any invasion because of what Russia has already done, said US Senators Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and James Risch, the panel’s top Republican. Menendez pointed to cyberattacks on Ukraine, false flag operations and efforts to undermine the Ukrainian government internally. Washington has spent weeks trying to build agreement with European partners on a strong sanctions package, but the issue is divisive, with Germany urging “prudence”. The European Union depends on Russia for around a third of its gas supplies and any interruption would exacerbate an existing energy crisis caused by a shortage. “We are concerned about the energy situation in Europe because it demonstrates the vulnerability of being too dependent on one supplier of natural gas and that’s the reason why Nato allies agree that we need to work and focus on diversification of supplies,” Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Britain said yesterday it would expand the scope of its own possible sanctions in legislation this week to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We think it’s highly likely that he is looking to invade Ukraine. That is why we’re doing all we can through deterrence and diplomacy, to urge him to desist,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told BBC television. Truss, who is due to visit both Ukraine and Russia in the next two weeks, told Sky News the legislation would enable Britain to hit a much wider variety of targets “so there can be nobody who thinks that they will be immune to those sanctions”. Asked if the new powers could include the ability to seize property in London, Truss said: “Nothing is off the table.” The Center for American Progress, a US think tank, has said Britain would face a challenge uprooting wealthy Russians with Kremlin links from London given close ties “between Russian money and the United Kingdom’s ruling conservative party, the press, and its real estate and financial industry”. Asked about this, Truss said: “There’s a real threat here to freedom and democracy in Europe. And that is more important than short-term economic gains, both for the United Kingdom but also for our European allies.”

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met Sunday with Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Robert Menendez, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, they reviewed the relations of cooperation between the two countries and the developments in the region.

HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met on Sunday morning at the Amiri Diwan Office with Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Robert Menendez and the accompanying delegation, who called on the Amir to greet him on the occasion of their visit to the country.     During the meeting, relations of cooperation and friendship between the two countries were reviewed in a number of joint strategic areas, in addition to the most prominent regional and international developments, especially the developments in Afghanistan.  

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met in Washington on Tuesday with the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Robert Menendez and members of the US Senate Senator Tom Cotton, Jim Risch and Senator Bill Hagerty, separately. The meetings reviewed aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the region. On their part, the US Senators praised the efforts made by the State of Qatar to achieve peace and stability in the region.

US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Guatemala Sunday, bringing a message of "hope" to a region hammered by Covid-19 and which is the source of most of the undocumented migrants seeking entry to the United States. Harris, who will also visit Mexico, is making her first journey abroad as President Joe Biden's deputy with an eye toward tackling the root causes of migration from the region -- one of the thorniest issues facing the White House. She landed at an air force base outside Guatemala City on Sunday evening, where she was greeted by Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo and US Ambassador William Popp. "I am here in Guatemala City for my first international trip as vice president," she wrote on Twitter following her arrival in the city, where she will meet with President Alejandro Giammattei as well as community and business leaders. Giammattei extended a "most cordial welcome" to Harris. "I am certain that it will be a successful visit and that we will continue to strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of our peoples," he tweeted. Nancy McEldowney, Harris' National Security Advisor, said the trip was part of efforts to "restore American leadership around the world." The United States would seek to develop an agenda that "takes into account the need to grow the Guatemalan economy, to deal with the climate crisis and food insecurity that has resulted, to work to combat poverty, violence and corruption," she added. Harris has said she hopes to have "honest" discussions with the two leaders about corruption, crime and violence. Giammattei, speaking to CBS ahead of the visit, said Harris "doesn't hold back, which is good. She is frank." Detentions of undocumented travelers along the US-Mexico border, including unaccompanied minors, hit a 15-year high in April. Nearly 180,000 people were intercepted -- more than 80 percent of them coming from Mexico or the so-called Northern Triangle of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. "We have to give people a sense of hope ... that if they stay, things will get better," Harris has previously said, after Biden tasked her with leading diplomatic efforts on the issue in March. - Vaccines, TPS, Title 42 – Donation of coronavirus vaccines by the United States to the region is also expected to be up for discussion. Harris addressed the subject over the phone with Giammattei and Lopez Obrador on Thursday, just before Biden announced the shipment of a first batch of six million doses to be distributed in Central America and the Caribbean through the global Covax program. Others will be sent directly from Washington to partner countries such as Mexico. For security and democracy expert Rebecca Bill Chavez, "a real commitment" on the number of doses destined for the Northern Triangle would be "one very positive outcome" of Harris's trip. Another potential topic is the possibility of granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Guatemalans living in the United States, allowing them to work legally. And there could be talk in Mexico of ending "Title 42," a Trump-era coronavirus policy allowing the immediate deportation of undocumented migrants -- even those who arrive seeking asylum. - 'A lot tougher' – The vice president's trip to Central America is part of the Biden administration's promise of a more humane immigration policy -- in contrast to the hardline approach taken by his predecessor Donald Trump. But Harris faces challenges even more complicated than the ones Biden dealt with as Barack Obama's vice president, when he was charged with handling the same matter. "The conditions have deteriorated dramatically since 2014," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank, referring to a worsening economic situation and increasing violence, both exacerbated by the pandemic. Harris's work is "a lot tougher," Shifter said, "because the (country) partners are far more problematic." The relationship between Washington and San Salvador has been tense since the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly, led by the ruling party, fired judges and the attorney general on May 1, and after the US labeled members of President Nayib Bukele's government corrupt. And Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was implicated in cocaine trafficking in a New York court earlier this year. A group of 18 US Democratic senators wrote a letter to Harris ahead of her trip. "Ensuring stability in Central America directly supports the national interests of the United States," said the group, led by Foreign Relations Committee head Bob Menendez. The Republican opposition on the other hand has accused Biden of creating a "crisis" on the country's southern border by failing to rein in immigration. Congress must still decide whether to approve the $861 million Biden has asked for next year as part of his $4 billion plan to take on the issue of undocumented immigration.  

President Joe Biden announced Monday, after coming under fierce criticism, that he was raising the maximum number of refugees allowed into the United States this year to 62,500 -- up from the 15,000 cap imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump. The change follows backlash from allies over Biden's earlier decision to keep the Trump-era limits -- a politically costly moment of confusion that stood out in a White House notable for its iron discipline in its first three months. ‘This erases the historically low number set by the previous administration of 15,000, which did not reflect America's values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees,’ Biden said in a statement. ‘The new admissions cap will also reinforce efforts that are already underway to expand the United States' capacity to admit refugees, so that we can reach the goal of 125,000 refugee admissions that I intend to set for the coming fiscal year.’ The program is only for refugees selected by US security and intelligence agencies from United Nations camps around the world. The course correction was quickly welcomed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is controlled by Biden's Democratic party. ‘I welcome the Biden administration's announcement that it will increase the number of refugees allowed to be resettled in the United States. This is an important step in continuing our proud, bipartisan tradition of providing refugees protection through resettlement,’ the committee chairman, Senator Bob Menendez, tweeted. The American Civil Liberties Union, a powerful advocacy group, also voiced approval, saying that the country's ‘reputation’ was at stake. ‘We are pleased to see President Biden has abandoned the Trump administration's abysmal refugee goal and recommitted to prioritizing helping people who are fleeing persecution around the globe,’ ACLU representative Manar Waheed said. ‘We recognize that the goal may not be easy and it requires rebuilding a system that was decimated by the Trump administration, but candidate Biden promised,’ Waheed said. ‘He must fulfill that promise, lives are at stake.’ - Biden needs party unity -Trump clamped down on refugees as part of the hardline border policies at the heart of his nationalist political platform. Biden campaigned on promises to restore more traditional US attitudes. But he then backtracked after his government ran into difficulties in handling a surge of migrants entering the country illegally or claiming asylum at the Mexican border. Last month, the White House said it needed more time to ‘rebuild’ the post-Trump refugee program and would therefore keep the cap at 15,000 for the year. After a top Democrat and refugee aid groups slammed Biden's target as ‘appallingly low’ and ‘deeply disappointing,’ the White House issued a statement hours later saying the low number was only provisional. In another shift from Trump's policies, Biden announced in April that quotas were being expanded for refugees from Central America, the Middle East and Africa, while also opening the doors to three mostly Muslim countries -- Somalia, Syria and Yemen. With Monday's announcement, the White House will hope to have calmed the political waters among Democrats just when it needs party unity to push forward on huge proposed social and infrastructure spending plans in an almost evenly divided Congress. ‘We are amid the largest global refugee crisis in history, and after four years of slashing admittances to the lowest point on record, we need to return to our leadership position,’ another Democratic senator, Tim Kaine, said. ‘I am heartened by today's announcement that moved toward upholding our values of accepting refugees.’ Trump set the 15,000 cap nearly a month before the November 2020 presidential election, which he lost. Under his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, with whom Biden served as vice president, an average of 100,000 people were welcomed into the United States each year. ‘It is in our DNA as a nation to open our door to those seeking refuge,’ said US secretary of state Antony Blinken in response to Biden's announcement Monday. ‘It remains in our national interest to treat individuals applying for these programs fairly and with dignity and respect.’