Vice President Kamala Harris' first international trip to Guatemala and Mexico commenced on a rough start on Sunday. A technical issue grounded the plane following around 30 minutes into the flight. According to Harris when she deplaned that they are "good" and they prayed aboard the plane.
The plane had to return to Maryland's Joint Base Andrews. Air Force Two landed safely.
No Safety Concerns
According to the vixe president's chief spokesperson and senior adviser Symone Sanders, "It is a technical issue. There are no major safety concerns," reported CNN. She stated Harris would transferred to another plane to continue the trip.
A spokesman for Harris declined to provide further comment.
The plane landed safely and the vice president gave a thumbs-up when she got off. She was expected to take off in another plane in around an hour, remarked Sanders to reporters traveling with Harris, reported ABC 7.
Shortly after takeoff, the crew of the original aircraft observed the landing gear was not storing as it should. This could have resulted in more mechanical issues. According to Sanders, "While there as no immediate safety issue, out of an abundance of caution they returned to JBA where they have all the parts and mechanics they need to fix the issue," reported AP.
This is Harris' first international trip as VP. In March, President Joe Biden tasked her to lead the administration's diplomatic efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle nations to help stem the southern border's flow of migration.
Reporters heard a strange noise originating from the landing gear. However, the plane arrived safely.
Harris switched planes. According to a pool report, she arrived safely in Guatemala on Sunday night. Sanders remarked no major delays in her itinerary were expected. Harris will hold the first of two days of talks on Monday to discuss the root causes of migration from Mexico and Central America.
Harris later arrived in the capital of Guatemala. She was then greeted by Guatemala's Minister of Foreign Affairs Pedro Brolo. A video posted by Sanders on Twitter displays Harris and Brolo waving to a crowd upon arrival.
.@VP and Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Pedro Brolo wave to the crowd and press upon arrival in Guatemala City. pic.twitter.com/wvsipifJUr
— SDS (@SymoneSanders46) June 7, 2021
The vice president deplaned Air Force Two at around 3:06 PM, ET, saluting a Marine. At 4:19 PM, Harris boarded a new Air Force Two. The plane departed shortly after, which put Harris two hours behind schedule.
The expectations are high for the VP as she enters the international stage amid a growing number of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border. In April, US Customs and Border Protection encountered over 178,000 migrants. Forty-four percent of them were from Central America.
Harris is slated to spend two days meeting with the presidents of the two countries. She will check in with organizers on the ground.
