When we first heard about Vice President Kamala Harris’s plan to address the “root causes” of migration in Central America and Mexico, we thought she might actually engage with the history of US empire in the region. Rather than use her trip to Central America as a simple photo op, perhaps she would acknowledge the United States’ role in its troubled past and its reverberations into the present.  

But, while we applaud efforts at ending human trafficking and stemming corruption, does anybody believe this addresses the root causes of immigration? Does anyone believe that promoting “economic development” by expanding the presence of foreign companies in Central America will slow immigration? Does anyone believe that callously declaring “Do not come” will improve the lot of would-be migrants?

Rather than grappling with the root causes, the US government continues to view Central America as a source of cheap labor, an exporter of raw commodities, and an investment opportunity for companies like Nestlé. Yet the record of Nestlé in South Asia is just as deplorable as that of the United Fruit Company in Central America. Both formed neocolonial relationships that enslaved local populations, generated racial and gender hierarchies, fomented coups, and subverted democracy and sovereignty. Instead of deviating from the past, Harris’s approach repeats it — buttressing the power of ruling elites and corporations to do what they wish.