Senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump arrived in San Salvador de Jujuy at around 11pm last night, accompanied by US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.
Trump, the so-called 'First Daughter', will attend a series of events and meetings with officials focusing on issues that make it difficult for women in developing countries to prosper financially, including lack of access to credit and limits on employment.
The US officials were welcomed at the provincial airport by Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie, Jujuy Governor Gerardo Morales and a strong security operation, with most of the rest of the airport shut down in advance of the visit. Washington has been tight-lipped about Ivanka Trump's visit to South America, revealing details only at the last minute.
Shortly after arrival, Trump and Sullivan had dinner with Morales and provincial Security Minister Ekel Meyer at a downtown hotel, the La Nación newspaper reported.
This morning, after a working breakfast with Morales and Faurie, Trump is expected to visit the offices of various NGOs working on women's rights and development. She will lunch with other officials in Purmamarca.
In all, Trump will spend less than 24 hours in the country. She is due to depart at 5pm local time, heading off on a US Air Force plane to Paraguay.
Venezuela-Colombia focus
Prior to her arrival in Argentina, the daughter of US President Donald Trump visited a migrant camp in Colombia on Wednesday as part of an official US delegation, as Washington boosts humanitarian assistance for the millions of people who have fled Venezuela’s collapsing economy.
The Trump administration will increase assistance by US$120 million to provide emergency food and health care to Venezuelans throughout the region, according to US State Department officials. That brings the total donated by the U.S. to address the crisis since 2017 to US$376 million, they said.
At the same time it donates aid for migrants, the US government has accelerated Venezuela’s economic collapse by imposing ever tighter sanctions aimed at forcing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
Ivanka Trump, who is an adviser to her father, President Donald Trump, visited Cúcuta on Wednesday – a Colombian border city that is the first destination for many migrants leaving Venezuela by land. She was joined by US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.
Sullivan and Ivanka Trump are making diplomatic visits to Colombia, Paraguay and Argentina this week. In Cúcuta, they met with Julio Borges, an aide to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has been recognised by the US and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela’s rightful head of state.
Sullivan reiterated Washington's support of Guaidó, saying “we are determined to not yield in our commitment.”
Tribute
Ivanka Trump paid tribute to the female Venezuelan leaders, calling them “warriors.” She also met with Venezuelan women who had crossed into Colombia, some seeking healthcare they couldn’t access in their home country. The shelter – Centro de Atencion al Migrante – was funded by the US Agency for International Development and Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Venezuelans trekking across the Andes on foot have become a common sight on Colombia’s highways, as have families asking for money on the streets of Bogotá and other South American capitals.
Colombian Vice-President Marta Lucía Ramírez visited the migrant centre with the US delegation. When asked whether Washington is doing enough, Ramirez said: “I have to say sincerely the US government is the one doing the best but it never is enough.”
Ramirez urged European nations to match US sanctions on the Maduro regime.
– BLOOMBERG
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