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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden and Vice President Harris in a Meeting on   Immigration

State Dining Room

2:14 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT:  Well folks, today I have two announcements to make.  One, is we’ve got ourselves a Secretary.  Xavier, welcome. SECRETARY BECERRA:  Thank you, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for being willing to do this, and I really appreciate.  And also today, I’ve — I said when we became a team and got elected, that the Vice President was going to be the last person in the room.  She didn’t realize that means she gets every assignment.  (Laughs.)  But the Vice President and I, and all of us here, have been working very hard to — to pass the legislation that — that is going to beat this virus, as well as get people back to work and change their prospects.  And so, she’s traveling all over the country working that. In addition to that, there’s about five other major things she’s handling, but I’ve asked her, the VP, today — because she’s the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border. And, you know, back when I was Vice President, I got a similar assignment, but one of the things we did was we made sure that we got a bipartisan agreement with Democrats and Republicans to provide over $700 million to the countries in the Northern Triangle to determine the best way to keep people from coming is keep them from wanting to leave. And the reason why so many people were leaving, we learned, was that not only gang violence and trafficking and cartels, but natural disasters, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes.  And so it’s not like someone sits around a hand-hewnen [sic] — hand-hewn table somewhere in Guatemala and says, “I’ve got a great idea:  Let’s sell everything we have, give the money to a coyote, have him take our kids or us to the border of America, take us across, leave us in the desert.  We don’t speak the language.  Won’t that be fun?” One of the ways we learned is that if you deal with the problems in country, it benefits everyone.  It benefits us, it benefits the people, and it grows the economies there. Unfortunately, the last administration eliminated that funding — did not engage in it, did not use it — even though there was over $700 million to help get this done.  We’re reinstituting that program.  And there are — as I said, there are many factors as to why people leave in the first place.  But this is — this is the — the source of one of the reasons why we’ve had such a — before we took office, in the midst of the last administration’s somewhat draconian policies of separating children from their parents, et cetera, what happened was that we — we found that there were a serious spike in the number of people heading to the southern border, even in the midst of that.  And as — as Alejandro can tell you, is that was because there were serious natural disasters that occurred in those countries.  They were coming north, and we did nothing to do any — much about it.  So this new surge we’re dealing with now started with the last administration, but it’s our responsibility to deal with it humanely and to — and to stop what’s happening. And so, this increase has been consequential, but the Vice President has agreed — among the multiple other things that I have her leading — and I appreciate it — agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept re- — the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders — at their borders. We’re already talking with Mexico about that; she’s already done that.  We’re going to be dealing with a full team now that we have to be able to deal with the problem here at home, but also to deal with it now in terms of in country.  And I can think of nobody who — who is better qualified to do this than a former — this is a woman who ran the second-largest attorney general’s office in America — after the U.S. — after the United States Attorney General — in the state of California, and has done a great deal upholding human rights, but also fighting organized crime in the process.  So it’s not her full responsibility and job, but she’s leading the effort because I think the best thing to do is to put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don’t have to wonder about is that where the President is.  When she speaks, she speaks for me.  Doesn’t have to check with me.  She knows what she’s doing, and I hope we can move this along.  But — so, Madam Vice President, thank you.  I gave you a tough job, and you’re smiling, but there’s no one better capable of trying to organize this for us. THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Mr. President and for having the confidence in me.  And there’s no question that this is a challenging situation.  As the President has said, there are many factors that lead precedent to leave these countries.  And while we are clear that people should not come to the border now, we also understand that we will enforce the law and that we also — because we can chew gum and walk at the same time — must address the root causes that — that cause people to make the trek, as the President has described, to come here.  And I look forward to engaging in diplomacy with government, with private sector, with civil society, and — and the leaders of each in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and ensure shared prosperity in the region.  We will collaborate with Mexico and other countries throughout the Western hemisphere.  And as part of this effort, we expect that we will have collaborative relationships to accomplish the goals the President has and that we share.  I also look forward to working with members of the Congress who, I think, share our perspective on the need to address root causes for the migration that we’ve been seeing.  And needless to say, the work will not be easy, but it is important work.  It is work that we demand — and the people of our countries, I believe, need — to help stem the tide that we have seen.  So thank you, Mr. President, for your confidence.  Thank you. THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you for willing to do it.  Now we’re going to get down to business here.  And, Ron, who am I turning this over to? 2:23 P.M. EDT

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Harris to lead administration's efforts to stem migration at border

By Tim Perry, Ed O'Keefe and Camilo Montoya-Galvez

Updated on: March 24, 2021 / 6:59 PM EDT / CBS News

President Biden announced Wednesday he had tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the administration's efforts to stem migration at the southern border. Her role comes as  border apprehensions have soared since Mr. Biden took office. 

"She's the most qualified person to do it — to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle, and the countries that are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks — stemming the migration to our southern border," Mr. Biden said at the White House on Wednesday. "It's not her full responsibility and job, but she's leading the effort, because I think the best thing to do is put someone who, when he or she speaks, they don't have to wonder about — is that where the president is? As she speaks, she speaks for me, doesn't have to check with me, she knows what she's doing —and I hope we can move this along."

"Starting today the Northern Triangle nations and Mexico will know there is one senior official dedicated to this effort," a senior official said on a call with reporters. "She [the vice president] is really going to look at two tracks. She is going to work first on the goal of stemming the flow of irregular migrants to the US, but also at the same time, and as part of the broader context, her real goal is establishment of a strategic partnership with these countries that is based on respect and shared values." 

Additionally, officials note, Harris plans to work to make it safer for people to apply for asylum and legal pathways in their home nations instead of making the dangerous trip.

Officials point to Harris' experience in "fighting organized crime and upholding human rights"  as a former California attorney general and member of Senate committees that dealt with immigration policy. The new role also relies on Harris's past experience on the sensitive matter of immigration.

By tapping Harris for the assignment, the president is signaling to Mexican and Central American officials the seriousness with which his administration is approaching the situation by appointing his deputy to take the lead.

Wednesday's announcement comes after U.S. officials along the southern border made more than 100,000 apprehensions in February — a 28% increase from the previous month. Most were single adult migrants who were expelled under a Trump-era public health order.

Nearly 9,500 unaccompanied entered U.S. border custody in February, a record for that month. With an average of 530 encounters per day this month, U.S. border officials are on track to take into custody more than 16,000 unaccompanied children in March, an all-time high.

There are currently more than 11,300 unaccompanied children in Health and Human Services shelters, and thousands others in Customs and Border Patrol holding facilities (unfit to house them long-term) near the southern border.

During an interview with "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday, Harris said that "at some point, absolutely we will go down to the border."

"The reality also is that in addition to the border, we also need to deal with the root causes. We need to deal with what's happening in the Northern Triangle and address it in a way that is about not only diplomacy but bringing our allies together." Harris said. "Dealing with what we need to do around aid in a way that is about developing those countries so that we also deal with the cause of why people are coming into our country."

The new assignment  mirrors some of the politically sensitive assignments Mr. Biden handled during the Obama administration.

In 2009, he was tapped to "sheriff" the implementation of a multibillion economic stimulus plan. An assignment fraught with political risk, then-Vice President Biden dove in, holding hours-long conference calls each week with mayors and state officials about how the federal funding was being distributed and spent. To this day, aides talk about how much Mr. Biden relished the role, as it gave him an opportunity to travel the country meeting with local leaders, many of whom have since climbed the political ladder, and allowed him to demonstrate to voters how the federal government could help revive the moribund economy.

Throughout the Obama years, Mr. Biden also served as point man on Iraq, a nod by former President Obama to Mr. Biden's decades of Senate work on foreign policy and relationships with leaders in the region. He traveled frequently to the region, including in 2011 to negotiate the final details of the American withdrawal of combat forces.

Senior aides on Wednesday brushed off comparisons to Biden's past vice presidential work on foreign policy and on topics that crossed the jurisdiction of multiple federal agencies. A senior aide said in response to a question that Harris would carry out the assignment "in her own style."

But in recent weeks, Harris aides have been pining for a more high-profile assignment beyond her early focus on women-owned small businesses and the trips she took in recent weeks to boost support for the American Rescue Plan. Some aides had hoped she would be tasked with leading the implementation of the nearly $2 trillion law, an assignment that would have given her an opportunity to travel the country, as Biden once did, to tout federal spending projects. But the president has named economic expert Gene Sperling to serve as point man on the law.

During the early months of the administration, Harris has already signaled other foreign policy priorities. In February White Officials told CBS News that cybersecurity, technology and global health would be among her top agenda items .  Those close to Harris say the interests come, in part, from her days as California's junior senator and her experience as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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Despite pandemic, 3 in 10 multinationals expect to increase international assignments, wtw survey finds.

October 20, 2021

ARLINGTON, VA, October 20, 2021 — International assignments are making a comeback, according to the recent 2021 Internationally Mobile Employee Benefits Design Survey by Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company (NASDAQ: WLTW). The survey also found multinational organizations have been expanding wellbeing benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has caused immense challenges for multinational organizations around international mobility,” said Pam Enright, senior director of Expatriate Benefits Solutions, Willis Towers Watson. “Employers have reacted swiftly to maintain business continuity and provide the necessary support and protection for their internationally mobile employees (IMEs). Despite the ongoing pandemic, most multinationals continue to leverage IMEs to support global business strategies.”

Given the extreme implications related to mobility, there was a pullback on international (expatriate) assignments in 2020. Now, 31% of multinationals are planning to increase the number of assignments in the next year, and only 15% are planning a reduction. Additionally, nine in 10 intend to maintain long-term versus short-term assignments.

Fundamental to an IME benefit strategy, most multinational organizations have focused on expanding wellbeing benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including enhancing telehealth services and employee assistance programs (EAPs). Over seven in 10 respondents (71%) now offer EAPs to their IMEs, up sharply from 53% in 2019. Additionally, 44% expanded their wellbeing benefits this year, up from 30% in 2019.

The survey also found half of respondents stated their global mobility strategies are shifting due to the pandemic. In fact, one in five respondents now offer IMEs some flexibility to work from anywhere.

“The pandemic has prompted multinationals to review their international health and risk benefit plans to ensure their coverage for both international (expatriate) assignees and business travelers is still fit for purpose,” said Enright. “The top priority in the early months of the pandemic, complicated by the limited availability of healthcare resources, was to keep their IMEs healthy and safe. To do so, many organizations expanded benefits and resources to address access issues. For some organizations, this also included expanding coverage to other employees who were grounded in other countries while on personal travel during lockdowns and travel bans.”

“IME benefit strategies are certainly influenced by COVID-19 and are also being shaped by diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for greater alignment with corporate strategies. We fully expect international benefit programs to continue to evolve to meet these emerging trends and requirements of multinational organizations for their internationally mobile workforces,” concluded Enright.

About the survey

The 2021 Internationally Mobile Employee Benefits Design Survey was conducted online in June and July 2021. A total of 107 multinationals across 33 industries in 15 countries participated.

About Willis Towers Watson

Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries and markets. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential.