Mexico City - From June 15-16, high-level government officials from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will meet in Miami, Florida to discuss issues of prosperity, security, and the future of U.S. engagement in the region.

The conference, co-hosted by the U.S. and Mexican governments, will include a keynote address by Vice President Mike Pence and will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, the presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and other top regional officials and leaders in the private sector.

The "Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America" comes at a time when the Trump administration's recently proposed 39 percent cuts in foreign assistance to Central America has raised serious concerns about the impact on the economic, security, and migration challenges facing El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. At the same time, the administration has been toughening its rhetoric about immigrants arriving at the border and pressing governments in the region, particularly Mexico, to increase enforcement.

"The co-hosting of the conference by Mexico is crucial since Mexico is an invaluable partner with a shared interest in improving conditions in Central America," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John S. Creamer, whose portfolio includes Cuba, Mexico and Central America, said Monday. "It will take strong leadership from the U.S., Mexico and other partners to tackle the economic, security and governance challenges facing the region."

Although President Donald Trump has blasted Mexico for its porous border and threatened to build a border wall, the conference is an indication that Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly sees Mexico as a potential ally in the effort to stem illegal immigration and believes border security actually starts 1,500 miles to the south of the United States along Mexico's border with its Central American neighbors.

The U.S. State Department is planning the first day of the conference, which focuses on prosperity and economic growth and will be held at Florida International University's Tamiami campus.

Vice President Mike Pence will give the keynote address and will have a series of bilateral meetings alongside the conference with President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of El Salvador, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William Brownfield will join their counterparts from Mexico: Secretary of Foreign Relations Luis Videgaray, Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade and Secretary of Interior Miguel Angel Osorio Chong.

The economic piece of the conference will focus on topics such as how to remove barriers to trade and investment, growth prospects, infrastructure, fiscal reforms such as improving tax collections and streamlining enforcement of trade and Customs regulations.

On Friday, the conference moves to Southern Command headquarters in Doral for a security portion that addresses rule of law, supporting government efforts to combat transnational organized crime, citizen security and border security management.

Costa Rica, Colombia, Canada, Panama, Belize, Chile, Spain and other European Union nations will attend as observers, and members of Congress have been invited to Friday’s security discussions.

While acknowledging that the role of civil society organizations in Central America is important, a senior State Department official said that the goal of the conference is fostering private-public sector dialogue and getting the countries of the region to work together on shared problems.