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President Biden is considering creating an anti-corruption task force to address mass migration coming from Central America, a top U.S. official announced Thursday.

Special Envoy to the Triangle Nations, Ricardo Zuniga, told reporters the task force would help local prosecutors manage corruption contributing to human rights abuses.

HARRIS TO TRAVEL TO GUATEMALA, MEXICO AMID CRITICISM OVER BORDER CRISIS

"Governance addressing corruption is at the center ofwhat the Biden administration is focusing on," Zuniga said.

Illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border has risen steeply this year, with migrants coming predominately from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Biden has said he will take on the immigration crisis by reversing Trump-era policies and addressing the "root causes" contributing to migrants fleeing the Northern Triangle countries in Central America.

Zuniga told reporters Thursday the White House will release a proposal next month to disperse $4 billion over a four-year period. The plan is set to focus on promoting governance and transparency, economic development and security.

Biden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with taking on the complex immigration crisis, and she is set to travel to Mexico and Guatemala "soon," the administration announced last week.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM VP HARRIS ON 'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED' BORDER DECISION

"We're also addressing structural problems [that have] infected so many lives and Central America, whether they regard insecurity or lack of opportunities," Zuniga said, applauding Harris"leadership."

The United States will also be imposing sanctions on Central American officials involved in corruption by barring their travelto the U.S., and assessing financial penalties.

"We have a mandate from the U.S. Congress to develop lists of officials who are involved in corruption and to propose actions against them," Zuniga said.

The Special Envoytraveled to Guatemala and El Salvador earlier this month, but was refused a meeting by Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele, who accused the administration of ill-treatmentsignalinga tough road ahead for officials in charge of combating massmigration.

Zuniga also said that Mexico "has been our key partner in efforts to manage migration."

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"We have really focused on countries that are at center of movement of people," he explained Thursday, adding that the U.S. is developing "working groups" in El Salvador and Honduras.

Harris is set to hold a virtual meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei Monday.

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Biden to assemble anti-corruption task force to take on illegal immigration - Fox News

Laredo is getting mixed reactions to the updated terminology for immigrants who had crossed the border illegally.

In a memo by Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, it establishes updated terminology for U.S. Customs and Border Protection communications and materials.

Changes mentioned in the memo are alien for noncitizen or migrant, alienage for noncitizenship, unaccompanied alien children to noncitizen unaccompanied children illegal alien to undocumented noncitizen, undocumented individual or migrant, among others.

In response to the vision set by the Administration, CBP will ensure agency communications use the preferred terminology and inclusive language as outlined below. This guidance applies to communications such as agency outreach efforts, internal documents and overall communications with stakeholders, partners and the general public, the memo reads.

For immigration attorney and former councilmember Nelly Vielma, this change was long overdue.

Its about time that the human dignity of people, refugees, immigrants and other displaced human beings are given an appropriate name. For many years, our countrys laws have labeled people in the immigration system as aliens or illegals, Vielma said. We may see it as a term to refer to people as foreigners, but ask yourselves, how would you and your family feel with that label if you were in their shoes? Although it may seem as a minor change, I hope the migrant community will be treated with dignity and respect, which is the expectation as our system slowly changes the labels to remove the negative connotations.

Agent Hector Garza, president of the National Border Patrol Council-Local 2455, said that under the Biden administration, agents received new guidance and updated terminology. But he pointed out that this memo still allows agents to continue using the same terminology under the Immigraction and Nationality Act as mentioned in the second paragraph of the memo.

As needed and appropriate, CBP may use applicable terms defined in the Immigration Nationality Act in legal or operational documents, including when completing required forms, particularly where legally required or necessary to ensure the procedural rights of those whom CBP encounters, states the memo.

Garza added, What is interesting is that it appears the Biden administration is trying to at peace immigrant rights groups.

Garza pointed out that agents are trained under the law to use the term alien under the Immigration and Nationality Act. That terminology is ingrained in agents because those are the terms members of congress approved, Garza said.

Nothing is going to change. Illegal aliens will still be illegal aliens, he said.

For Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, he briefly mentioned during a news conference on another topic that he can understand some people are trying to be politically correct.

But if you look at what the statute says, they do use the word alien. Thats what the statute does. Unless the statute changes, some of us will continue to use the word alien on that. Thats just what the statute says right now, and I dont think the statute is going to be changed, Cuellar said.

Words matter but the question is, which words, in what circumstances are those words going to be used, the congressman mentioned.

The word alien is used in the statute. Its been used for many years. But theres a new thinking that they want to use something. I think right now that as long as the statute is there, I probably will be using the word alien. Thats the word thats in the statute until we change that.

Cuellar went on to say that while people focus on words, the focus should be shifted to stopping the flow of people coming in and handling the flow that is already in the country.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also released a statement regarding the updated terminology.

Consistent with the Biden Administrations goals to foster inclusion and build a more fair and humane immigration system, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is adopting terminology to help rebuild public trust and reshape the agency image. The change reflects ICEs commitment to treat everyone with whom we interact with respect and dignity while still enforcing our nations laws, ICE said in a statement.

An official also stated that ICE will make efforts to avoid using terminology that might be perceived by others as offensive or otherwise disparaging. The official also mentioned that ICE leadership will no longer use terms such as alien or illegal in internal or external public facing documents and communications.

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Scratch of illegal alien term gets mixed reaction in Laredo - Laredo Morning Times

KABUL, Afghanistan The U.S. military has begun its complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, the top American commander there said Sunday, marking what amounts to the beginning of the end of the United States nearly 20-year-old war in the country.

I now have a set of orders, said Gen. Austin S. Miller, the head of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, to a news conference of Afghan journalists at the U.S. militarys headquarters in Kabul, the capital. We will conduct an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that means transitioning bases and equipment to the Afghan security forces.

General Millers remarks come almost two weeks after President Biden announced that all U.S. forces would be out of the country by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that propelled the United States into its long war in Afghanistan.

Mr. Bidens announcement was greeted with uncertainty in Afghanistan, as it prepares for a future without a U.S. and NATO military presence despite a Taliban insurgency that seems dead set on a military victory despite talks of peace.

The insurgent groups harsh version of Islamic law, which barred women from many jobs during its rule in the late 1990s and banned music and dance, among other arts, will probably return if the Taliban reassumes power either through force or if they are incorporated into the government.

Holding the line for now are the Afghan security forces, which have endured a particularly difficult winter. Taliban offensives in the south and repeated attacks in the north despite the cold weather have meant mounting casualties ahead of what could be a violent summer as U.S. and NATO forces withdraw. Though the Afghan military and police forces together are said to have around 300,000 personnel, the real number is suspected to be much lower.

I often get asked how are the security forces? Can the security forces do the work in our absence? General Miller said. And my message has always been the same: They must be ready.

General Miller added that certain equipment must be withdrawn from Afghanistan, but wherever possible the United States and international forces will leave behind matriel for the Afghan forces.

There are roughly 3,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and around 7,000 NATO and allied forces. Those NATO forces will probably withdraw alongside the United States, as many countries in the coalition are dependent on American support.

Atop the international military forces in Afghanistan, there are also roughly 18,000 contractors in the country, almost all of whom will also depart. General Miller said that some of the contracts will have to be adjusted so that the Afghan security forces, which are heavily dependent on contractor assistance especially the Afghan Air Force will continue to be supported. The thousands of private contractors in Afghanistan are tasked with a range of jobs, including security, logistics and aircraft maintenance.

Under last years peace agreement with the Taliban, U.S. and international forces were supposed to withdraw from the country by May 1. Under the agreement the Taliban have refrained for the most part from attacking U.S. troops. But what remains unclear is if the insurgent group will attack the withdrawing forces following Mr. Bidens decision to set the final deadline later, in September.

We have the military means and capability to fully protect our force during retrograde, as well as support the Afghan security forces, General Miller said.

American troops are still spread out in a constellation of around a dozen bases, most of which contain small groups of Special Operations forces advising the Afghan military. To cover the withdrawal, the American military has committed a significant amount of air support, including positioning an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, in case the Taliban decide to attack.

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US Military Begins Final Withdrawal from Afghanistan - The New York Times

By Sept. 11, 2021, all U.S. forces must be out of Afghanistan. But that doesn't mean that the U.S. will be at the mercy of groups like ISIS,al-Qaida or the Taliban if they want to create problems and threaten U.S. interests,the commander of the U.S. Central Command said.

While the 3,500 troops currently in Afghanistan will leave that country by the end of the summer, some will remain in the region, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. saidduring a hearing today before the House Armed Services Committee.

"I think some of the forces are going to remain in Central Command, because we are going to look at offshore, over-the-horizon options," he said.

Right now, McKenzie said, he's figuring out how the U.S. will be able to conduct counter-terrorism activities in the area without being in Afghanistan.

"I'm actually conducting detailed planning, by the direction of the secretary, to look at those options right now. I will report back to him by the end of the month with some alternatives," he said.

Broadly, McKenzie said, if a crisis arises in Afghanistan and the U.S. needs to go back in, three things will need to happen that the U.S. can still do though with more difficulty than it can do right now.

"You need to find the target, you need to fix the target and you need to be able to finish the target," he said. "So those three things all firstly require heavy intelligence support. And if you're out of the country and you don't have the ecosystem that we have there now, it will be harder to do that. It is not impossible to do that. It will just be harder to do it."

For intelligence assets in the region, he said, U.S. diplomats are working now to find new places to base them, he said.

"There are ways to get to the find and the fix part," he said. "The fix part is very important though, because if we're going to strike something, we're going to strike it in concert with the law of armed conflict and the American way of war."

It's the striking of a target if need be that's going to be an even bigger challenge than it is now, McKenzie told lawmakers.

"It's difficult to do that at range but it's not impossible to do that at range," he said.

The general said long-range precision fires, manned raids and manned aircraft are all possibilities for strike options, if need be. All are on the table, and all are doable though with increased risks and costs.

"There are problems with all three of those options, but there's also opportunities with all three of those options," he said. "I don't want to make light of it. I don't want to put on rose-colored glasses and say it's going to be easy to do. Though I can tell you that the U.S. military can do just about anything and we're examining this problem with all of our resources right now to find a way to do it in the most intelligent, risk-free manner that we can."

When forces do leave Afghanistan, McKenzie said, there's the risk that there could be attacks at that time. He said he's confident, however, that while such a redeployment is complex, U.S. forces will be safe.

With the Afghanistan withdrawal, he said, equipment will need to leave the country, installations will need to be turned over and people will need to leave.

McKenzie said discussions with Army Gen. Austin Miller, commander of the Resolute Support mission and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, have left him assured that redeployment can be done safely.

"I'm confident that we will have the forces necessary to protect our forces should the Taliban decide to begin attacking us on [May 1] or any other date," he said.

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U.S. Plans to Keep Threats in Check Even After Afghanistan Withdrawal - Department of Defense

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) CIA Director William Burns made a recent unannounced visit to Kabul, a senior politician and a well-placed public figure told The Associated Press, as concerns mount about Afghanistans capability to fight terrorism once the U.S. has withdrawn its remaining troops by summer.

Separately, a senior former Afghan security official deeply familiar with the countrys counterterrorism program said two of six units trained and run by the CIA to track militants have already been transferred to Afghan control.

The three men spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive security issues with the media.

In Washington, the CIA declined to comment when asked about the directors schedule and the agencys role in Afghanistan.

In deciding this month on an unconditional troop pullout by Sept. 11, President Joe Biden had argued that a key objective of the U.S. invasion to prevent terror attacks on the U.S from Afghan soil has been met. The pullout deadline marks the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaida terror attacks on the U.S., which triggered the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

However, senior U.S. officials have cautioned that the withdrawal poses risks.

Burns recently told the U.S. Congress that neither al-Qaida nor Islamic State extremists have the ability to stage attacks against the U.S. Still, when the time comes for the U.S. military to withdraw, the U.S. governments ability to collect and act on threats will diminish, thats simply a fact, he said.

Burns quietly visited Kabul last weekend, the politician and the public figure said. They would not say whom Burns met with, but said some of the discussions addressed Afghanistans preparedness after the U.S. pullout. Burns also reassured Afghan officials that the U.S. would continue to be engaged in counterterrorism efforts.

Yet concerns are mounting that Afghanistans security forces wont be able to halt a march by Taliban insurgents on government-held territory or battle terrorist groups without the help of U.S. and NATO soldiers. Already, the Taliban control or hold sway over half the country.

The former security official said he believes terrorism-fighting capabilities will be significantly reduced once the roughly 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops and 7,000 allied NATO soldiers leave.

The official said the CIA had been training and running Afghan special forces known as Counter Terrorism Pursuit Teams, or CTPT. The teams are located in the provinces of Kunar, Paktia, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost and Nangarhar. He said the plan is to gradually hand them over to the Afghan intelligence service, known as the National Directorate of Security. So far, the Kunar and Paktia units have been transferred to Afghan control, he said.

The CTPT teams are feared by many Afghans and have been implicated in extra-judicial killings of civilians. In 2019, the head of the Afghan intelligence service, Masoom Stanikzai, was forced to resign after one of these units was implicated in the summary execution of four brothers.

Earlier this year, in Afghanistans eastern Khost province, one of the teams was accused of gunning down civilians in a counterterrorism operation. The United Nations has also criticized the tactics of these units, previously blaming them for a rise in civilian casualties along with insurgent groups.

The former security official said that without the U.S. troops, Afghanistans technical intelligence gathering will suffer. Right now, some of the greatest successes in fighting terrorism and the narcotics trade have come from U.S. intelligence gathering, he said. Several months ago, U.S. intelligence uncovered dozens of methamphetamine laboratories producing drugs with a street value in the West of over $1 billion, the official added.

Meanwhile, both the U.S. and the Afghan government believe that the threat from al-Qaida and Afghanistans Islamic State affiliate has been substantially reduced.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. general for the Middle East, told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that both groups have been significantly degraded in Afghanistan because of U.S. military pressure in recent years.

However, the post-pullout situation will be challenging, he said. McKenzie said getting drones and other aircraft into Afghanistan to provide overhead surveillance or to conduct counterterrorism strikes will take considerably longer and will require far more aircraft.

He also said it will be extremely difficult but not impossible for the U.S. to find, track and take out terrorist threats in Afghanistan once all American troops are withdrawn.

Meanwhile, a Western diplomat in Afghanistan said the unexpected U.S. announcement of an unconditional withdrawal left many security questions unanswered such as what happens to NATOs surveillance equipment and the giant blimp that hovers over the capital. The blimp provides real-time intelligence and 24-hour surveillance.

David Barrett, a professor at Villanova University who specializes in the history of intelligence policy, said the troop pullout will reduce the amount of intelligence gathered by the military and ultimately provided to the CIA. But the U.S. can still monitor electronic communications and other signals with its advanced technology, and could intervene militarily if it assessed a threat to an American target, he said.

We have amazing capabilities for knowing whats happening on the ground, he said. If anyone, anywhere in Afghanistan decides they want to develop any ability to strike the U.S., they would be making a very big mistake.

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Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.

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CIA head said to have made unannounced trip to Afghanistan - The Associated Press