Secretary Blinken in San Jose: US wants 'shared commitment' on migration

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Costa Rica Tuesday and held bilateral discussions with President Carlos Alvarado Quesada. Speaking at a news conference after their meeting, Blinken stated the United States is preparing a 4 billion US dollar regional aid package to help meet the challenges of "irregular migration."

During their joint news conference in San Jose, Blinken also touched on democracy and human rights. "Democracy and human rights are being undermined in many parts of the region. We see this in the erosion of judicial independence, the crackdown on independent media and NGOs, the barring of political opponents, and the quashing of anti-corruption efforts," he said.

"We understand how fragile democracy is.  We've experienced setbacks in our own country in recent years."

Blinken is in Costa Rica Tuesday and Wednesday prior to the U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris' trip to the region, scheduled for the end of this week. On his first visit to Central America as US Secretary of State, Blinken was also expected to discuss regional human rights issues with his counterparts from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panamá, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.