President Joe Biden wants to stem soaring migration levels through aid to Central American countries and by targeting corruption, efforts that have shown mixed results in years past while stoking new opposition in a region that feels scapegoated by the new U.S. administration.

Buy-in from leaders in the countries people are leaving is “fundamental” to achieving success, said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. But the new U.S. leader is finding such cooperation is not always easy to secure, with officials in the region questioning whether Biden and his team are up to the task of quelling the situation.