WHY CUTTING OFF AID TO CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES WON'T CURB MIGRATION TO THE U.S.
Slashing aid is counterproductive because foreign assistance can address the root causes of migration, such as violence and poverty, argues one expert.
CARMEN MONICO4 HOURS AGO
Salvadorean migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S. cross the Suchiate River to Mexico, as seen from Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on November 2nd, 2018.
(Photo: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has long made blocking the thousands of Central Americans who head to the southern United States border, most of them seeking asylum, from entering and staying in the country a top priority.
His administration is now stepping up its pressure on the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to take steps to curtail the migration of their own citizens by constricting U.S. aid. About $370 million in aid money for the three countries included in the 2018 budget will be spent on other projects, the Department of State said on June 17th.
"It is critical that there be sufficient political will in these countries to address the problem at its source," Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.
I'm a scholar who has researched migration from Central America, especially the arrival of unaccompanied children and teens from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
More:
https://psmag.com/social-justice/cutting-off-aid-to-central-america-wont-curb-migration
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